


Love Like Battleships

by callistawolf



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Airplane Crashes, Alternate Universe - Movie Fusion, Alternate Universe - Shipwrecked, Crash Landing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Infidelity, mentions of Oliver/Sara, mentions of Ray/Felicity, mentions of Ray/Sara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-25
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-23 09:14:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 49,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4871317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callistawolf/pseuds/callistawolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>We’re high then we’re low/First it’s yes then it’s no/And we’re changing like the tides/Yeah, but I want you, I need you/And I guarantee you we’ll make it out alive</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Six Days Seven Nights AU - Felicity is a driven career woman on a much-needed vacation with her doting boyfriend.  Oliver is a charter pilot with a history of running from complications (and his life).  They clash from the start, two wrongs rubbing up against each other the wrong way.  What happens when a nasty storm causes them to crash on a deserted island, alone, together?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, friends! I've finally been able to write something! I'm not quite done with this one yet... I've got two chapters left to write and then it's finished. But... gulp... I'm already contemplating a sequel! There's more story here and I want to now what happens after the ending. Hopefully, you'll agree with me. Anyhow, thanks for joining me on this ride. I hope to be able to do daily posting so this will all be up by the time s4 premieres. Who's with me?? 
> 
> (also, much apologies for the Ray/Felicity and Sara/Oliver to start with... it's important to the story and you'll see why later on. If you're familiar with the movie, then you already know. If you aren't, even better!)

Under normal circumstances, Felicity thought snow was quite beautiful.She enjoyed he way the flakes floated down to earth, like little miniature angels, covering all the dirt and decay of the world with white, pristine beauty.One of her favorite things to do on a snowy day was curl up in her cozy flannel shirt with a mug of tea and a good book and sit in the window to read and admire the wonderland outside. 

The key scenario here, of course, was that she was _inside_ while the snow was _outside_.  

Driving in snow was another thing altogether.She’d been born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, which wouldn’t know what to do with snow if it ever saw it (and it didn’t).She’d had to learn how to deal with snow when she moved across country to attend MIT in Massachusetts.Then, she’d gotten hired on right out of school at Palmer Technologies in Starling City.It didn’t snow as much in Starling as it had in Cambridge.But Felicity had learned that wasn’t exactly a good thing.It meant the residents were less prepared to deal with the snow when it did arrive.Which meant her commute to work on this snowy, Monday morning was an actual nightmare. 

Despite having left her apartment thirty minutes early (Felicity Smoak was no fool), she was still a good ten minutes late by the time she rushed to her desk on the 37 th floor of the Palmer Technologies building.Luckily, Gerry her assistant was waiting for her with a mug of coffee and the list of files she needed to see to first thing that morning.This was why she’d given him a raise two months ago; the man was worth his weight in gold.  

Felicity got right to work, diving into the various paperwork and administrative junk that often clogged up her day.But once she was through with that, she’d have time to go spend in the research lab and that was her favorite part of her job.Felicity liked to be hands on and while running Research and Development was a dream come true, she liked to get her hands dirty.Sitting behind a desk could sometimes be a little stifling. 

At least she had a gorgeous view of the snow drifting past the windows right next to her desk.See, she and the snow were on speaking terms again. 

Felicity worked straight through the morning, sending her calls to voicemail and accepting fresh mugs of coffee when Gerry would bring them to her.She got a lot of the annoying stuff taken care of, which meant she could spend some time in the lab after lunch.  

It was about ten minutes to noon when Gerry peeked his head into her office, tapping on the glass wall to get her attention.  

“What’s up?” she asked him. 

“Ray is on line one. I know you said you wanted all your calls to go to voicemail but I thought you might want to talk to him.”Her assistant winked at her, making Felicity grin.  

“You thought right.Thanks, Gerry!”

He left to return to his desk and Felicity picked up the receiver on her desk and hit the button for line one.She’d almost forgotten Ray was back from his business trip, in all the hubbub of her morning.He’d been gone since Friday afternoon, meaning she had the weekend to herself.It wasn’t _all_ bad; she got to sleep in, wear her softest, rattiest pajamas and watch a _lot_ of Netflix.But she was also looking forward to seeing his beautiful face again. 

“Ray!Are you back?” she said into the phone. 

His deep chuckle sounded over the line. “I am back, in my office, and up to my ears in paperwork.How about you?”He was the CEO of Palmer Technologies, and had done amazing things with this company that he’d spend the last eight years building from the ground up.He was one of the youngest CEOs in America right now.His work ethic was only matched by hers, which caused everyone who met them to remark on what a perfect couple they were. 

“Just finishing mine up, as it happens. Now I get to spend the afternoon down in the R&D lab.”

“Lucky girl,” he remarked.“Listen, I am having something sent to your office, but I just wanted to touch base with you before I dove back into my paperwork to tell you that I love you.And I missed you.”

Felicity flushed.“I love you too, Ray.Dinner tonight?” 

He chuckled again.“Check out the card.I’ll see you at seven.”

They hung up and Felicity puzzled over what he’d said.The card?What card?As though on cue, Gerry appeared back in her office, this time bearing an enormous floral arrangement. 

“Holy frack, Gerry!” She could almost see him from around the massive vase, filled with every kind of tropical flower she’d ever heard of (and some she hadn’t).  

“You boyfriend believes in big gestures,” he remarked, setting the vase down on her desk and stepping back to regard it.“Subtle, he is not.”

Felicity grinned as she plucked a little hula doll from the center of the riotous bunch of flowers.“This is just ridiculous enough to be completely _him_ ,” she remarked.Then, she saw the card, tucked between the leaves and blooms.Opening it up, she saw a long handwritten note in Ray’s hand.She read it aloud, knowing that Gerry would be curious and ask her what it said anyhow.

 

**Felicity,**

**It feels like it’s been forever. I missed you so much. It was hard to keep my mind on all those business meetings for thinking of you.Meet me at Leilani’s at 7pm tonight and bring the doll.**

**Love and kisses,**

**Ray**

 

“Isn’t he sweet?”

“Hasn’t he only been gone since Friday?” Gerry asked, his tone dryHe took the doll from her and regarded it with a critical eye. 

“Yes, but that’s just Ray.He likes to be with me.”

“Could it get me fired if I called my boss’ boss a stalker?” Gerry wondered aloud. 

Felicity smacked him with the card and Gerry grinned.He always was teasing her about her relationship with Ray.It didn’t bother her too much because she knew the truth.Ray was just a romantic, who wore his heart on his sleeve.It was nice to feel appreciated like that.Sure, sometimes he could be a little smothering but that’s why these business trips he had to take every few weeks were a good thing; absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? 

“But why does he want you to bring the doll though?” 

Felicity took it back and eyed the little carved wooden figure with the grass skirt.“Knowing Ray? It could be anything.”

***

Felicity almost lost track of time while she was down in the R&D lab after lunch.It was a lot of fun, seeing what the lab techs had been up to lately, testing some things out, offering her own thoughts and solutions.Sometimes she wished she was down there with them, even though she knew her job came with a good deal of prestige and power and looked damn good on her resume. 

God Bless Gerry, though, he came down at ten minutes to five to remind her of her dinner date and Felicity was able to tear out of there, get to her car and hit the road.The snow wasn’t falling anymore and what had already fallen, the city had plowed, so the roads were a little easier to deal with on her drive home. 

Which was a great thing because that meant she had time for a quick shower and to focus on getting herself dolled up for the dinner date with Ray.Felicity took her time with her hair, pinning it back into a sexy chignon before putting on her new favorite royal blue dress that made her eyes pop.Ray loved her in blue and he hadn’t seen this dress yet.She couldn’t wait to see his face when he saw her wearing it. 

Leilani’s was a trendy new Polynesian restaurant not too far from Ray’s penthouse apartment so it was in a swanky part of town.With some help from her car’s navigation system, she was able to find the place with time to spare and parked in the lot.  

Felicity hadn’t been to this particular restaurant yet. It was new, just opened a few months ago, with eager patrons booking all their reservations solid since the beginning.The vibe was definitely island-centric, with plenty of palms and vegetations and ocean scenery.She was lead to a table the moment she stepped into the restaurant; seems the staff was waiting for her.Sure enough, Ray was at the table already. 

He stood when he saw her, towering above her even in her four-inch heels.His arms wrapped around her as he gave her a hug and then a chaste kiss to her lips.“You look amazing,” he told her in a low voice. 

“You like it?” Felicity fought the urge to do a pirouette.  

Ray held out a chair for her to sit and then sat across from her, his eyes smiling as he drank her in. “I adore it.It looks perfect on you.”

He ordered them a few drinks and then suggested something on the menu that he thought she might like.It was a fish dish and she had to admit it sounded like something she’d enjoy so she agreed.Once they placed their orders, Felicity drew the doll out of her purse and set it on the table between them. 

“Ah, so you brought her,” Ray said with approval. 

“You told me to.Any reason?I can tell you’re up to something.The flowers, the doll, this place…” She gestured around her to the restaurant, decorated up in full island ambiance.  

“Oh, there’s a reason.”  

Felicity was getting a little nervous, in spite of herself.“You didn’t bring me here to break up with me, did you?” 

Ray looked startled.“What—? Why would you think that?”

“It’s just… I read somewhere that 69% of all relationships break up in restaurants because it’s a safe, public place where people are less likely to make a scene.And it was most likely a made up statistic, because that’s how those magazines work, but it made sense to me—”

“Felicity,” he cut her off. “We’re not breaking up. In fact, I want to step things up in our relationship.”Ray reached in his sport coat and drew out a pamphlet, setting it down next to the doll.“You’re always saying how we never take any vacations together, never take time outside of work, we’re always busy at Palmer Tech… Well, I just booked us a trip.To here.”

Felicity looked at it, noted the romantic island setting behind a logo for a posh sounding resort on an island called Makatea.Gasping, she picked it up and opened to find even more tempting scenes within and listings of all the activities and amenities.  

“This looks amazing, Ray!”

“It should be, for what I’m paying.”

“But we—“

“Pack your bags, Felicity.You and I, in French Polynesia, in two weeks.”

Felicity felt a surge of excitement, moments before her face fell.“But the Merlyn Global merger!That’s all coming together any day now and I need to be on hand to be able to deal with it when Merlyn finally gets his head out of his ass…”

Ray held up a hand. “I’m the CEO and if I say you can take a week off… six days and seven nights in fact, to spend in paradise with your generous and attentive boyfriend, then you can take a week off.”

“But what if—“

“Ah ah!Don’t worry about it.The merger can wait.Paradise calls, Felicity.Sun, sand, water, mai tai’s….”

“It does sound pretty awesome,” Felicity said, gazing at the pictures in the brochure again.It depicted little huts, set out over the water with glass cutouts in the floors so you could watch the fish from your bed.  

“I can’t wait to take you there,” Ray told her, his tone earnest, reaching across the table to grasp her hand.  

Felicity smiled at him.He could be such a romantic.“And I can’t wait to be there.With you.”

***

Two weeks later, their plane touched down in Pape’ete amidst balmy breezes, blue skies and more sunshine than Felicity had seen in months.It was gorgeous and she hadn’t even left the airport.She and Ray tried to hurry through customs after they disembarked.Weather had delayed their flight out of Los Angeles for fifty minutes and they were now late to meet their charter to the island.Felicity trotted along behind Ray, teetering a little in her high heeled sandals, as they hurried towards the baggage claim. 

“Look, there’s the different charter companies,” Ray said, indicating a sign that pointed the way, the opposite direction from the baggage claim. “Why don’t you go find Verdant Air and let them know we’re here and we’re coming while I go get our bags.”

“Good idea.” 

“Great.See you in ten minutes?”

Felicity smiled at him.Ray was anxious about everything being perfect and she thought it was cute. “See you in ten minutes.”

He smiled back, his teeth glinting white. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”She pushed up on her toes to peck at his lips before turning and heading towards the charter flights. 

Felicity finally located the charter flights outside, right on the tarmac.As the doors to the airport slid open, Felicity got her first taste of island breeze as it ruffled through her hair.She’d kept it loose, letting it dry in waves.The breeze also played with the hem of her flirty sundress.Digging in her purse, she found her sunglasses and slipped them on while she walked down the pavement, looking for Verdant Air. 

She began to feel a little discouraged; each charter company looked smaller and shabbier the further she walked.She began to dread what sort of plane they’d have to take for the final leg of their journey.Then, she ran out of planes all together.No sign for Verdant Air. 

Felicity did find a small propeller plane bearing no markings with a mechanic working on it’s engine.As she approached, she couldn’t see much as his back was to her and he wore a backwards baseball cap on his head.He looked tall and wore a pair of grey coveralls that he’d unfastened and pulled down so the top half hung from his waist, leaving him shirtless.Felicity flushed a little as she watched the muscles on his tanned back ripple as he moved. 

He was also cursing and growling. 

“Dammit!You son of a bitch!”

“Uhm, excuse me?” she tried. 

“Fucking asshole engine always pulling this shit…”

Felicity cleared her throat.“Excuse me!Could you please help me?”  

The man turned around, straightening up as he stepped away from the exposed plane engine.Felicity swallowed hard.Yes, he was definitely as tall as Ray.Muscled and gorgeous, with a scruffy jaw and piercing blue eyes.He squinted at her. “I’m looking for Verdant Air?” she finished, when he didn’t say anything. 

The man blinked.Then he looked around the plane and then smacked himself on the forehead.“Shit, I forgot again.”He opened the back hatch and rooted around for a moment before he pulled out a small placard which he set up next to the back of the plane.It read, to Felicity’s dismay, _Verdant Air_. 

“So you’re flying to Makatea?” he asked her and now he was looking her up and down and there was no mistaking the appreciative glint in his eyes. 

Felicity fought a blush and notched her chin up a bit. “Yes, we are.My boyfriend and I, that is.”Damn, why was his shirtless front so much hotter than his shirtless back?

The man’s eyebrow cocked up and his grin deepened.He _did_ have a beautiful smile. “We’ll be ready in about ten— twenty minutes.”He jerked a thumb back at the plane which… was it leaking _oil_? 

“But… not in _this_ plane, right?”

“Of course this plane,” he replied, sounding a little aggravated.“You see any other planes around here?”

Felicity glanced with longing at the some of the larger charter companies.“Does anyone else fly to Makatea?”

His grin flashed again, this time looking a bit on the feral side. “Just me, ma’am.”

“You mean… you’re the pilot?”  

He looked a little insulted at her clear skepticism.“Damn right I am. This is my plane, too.We have a larger plane but she’s laid up for repairs in Fiji right now.”

“But…” Felicity gestured at the exposed engine with the dripping oil.“What do you call this then?”

The man waved his hand as though what she’d just said was inconsequential. “This is just maintenance.”

“It looks _broken_ ,” she argued. 

“It’s not _broken_ ,” he insisted.“Are you this picky all the time?”

“About my safety?Uh, yes, as it happens, I am!”

He chuckled.“This here is a de Havilland Beaver.One of the greatest bush planes to ever fly the friendly skies.She’s safe as a baby carriage, I swear.”

Felicity eyed the tiny plane, feeling a little suspicious.She was about to argue some more, ask if there was another one of these charter companies that flew to Makatea when Ray joined them.Compared to the pilot, he looked clean and fresh in his khaki shorts and polo shirt. Ray shot the pilot a look and made a slight grimace at the other man’s shirtless state. 

“Is there a problem, Felicity?” he asked her, placing a hand low on her back.Felicity relaxed at once and she saw the pilot’s eyes linger on the gesture. 

“Uhm, yes, there is a problem, it turns out,” Felicity told Ray.“This man, he works for Verdant Air—“

“I own it,” the man cut in, grinning.

Felicity continued as though he hadn’t interrupted, “And he seems to think we’re going to fly to Makatea in this… thing.”

Ray looked alarmed as he glanced at the man and then at the plane, taking note of the small puddle of oil beneath the exposed engine.“What?Uh, no. I think we can find another charter.”

The pilot grinned that hard grin again.“You won’t find one.You can take the boat that leaves from the port in town.”

“Oh, let’s do that then!” Felicity suggested, pulling on Ray’s arm.A nice boat ride would be just the thing after a long flight and would be quite a bit safer than riding in that tin can. 

“That sounds like a great idea,” Ray agreed. 

“Okay.I can give you directions.It takes three days but maybe you two like the slower pace.”

Felicity’s face fell.Three _days_?That and the trip back would eat up their entire vacation. 

“Ray…” she said, the dismay clear in her voice. She hated flying even in commercial airliners, as Ray well knew, and she just wasn’t so sure she could do this. 

“Felicity, it’s okay.I’m sure… I’m sure this plane is safe and I’m sure this man is a trained pilot.He’s a professional.”Ray didn’t look too sure of what he was saying but Felicity knew… if they wanted their island paradise they had no choice but to fly in this dinky plane.Her shoulders sagged with defeat. 

“Okay.Okay, I can do this.” 

“You sure?” he asked, laying a hand on the side of her face.  

She nodded.“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Great.Well, if you two are going, it’ll be about twenty— thirty minutes,” the man said.Felicity noticed that was about ten minutes longer than he’d told her before.“I just gotta go get some oil.”

They watched him walk towards an open hangar and Felicity’s stomach felt like it was a mass of knots.This was not how she would have chosen to start her dream vacation.Ray put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her against his side and giving her a squeeze. 

“It’ll be worth it, I promise,” he said, as though he’d read her mind.  

Felicity tried to push her worries aside as she smiled up at him.“I know so.Paradise awaits, right?”God, she hoped it’d be worth it.She hoped she’d live to see Makatea at all! 

***

Almost forty minutes had passed when they finally climbed on board the plane.The pilot (they still didn’t know his name) offered to help with their luggage but Ray turned him down for whatever ridiculous reason.Felicity had stood and watched him try to maneuver her suitcase behind the passenger seats in the back.She caught the pilots eye and saw he was on the verge of laughter himself.She narrowed her eyes at him and he shrugged. At least he’d changed into a t-shirt and shorts.The view had been nice, but distracting and the only man she should be ogling this week was Ray.  

It took some maneuvering, but Ray got everything in and he helped Felicity climb in and take the seat next to him.They were buckling in and the pilot was getting into his seat when they looked out and saw a pert little blonde woman hurrying towards the plane, several shopping bags on her arms.The pilot greeted her with a smacking kiss when she climbed into the seat next to them. 

“Hi!” she said to them with a little wave as she turned to buckle herself in. 

The pilot turned in his seat.“This is Sara.She’s our flight service director.”

Sara laughed at that and smacked him on the arm, making him chuckle.Felicity wondered if that was some sort of inside joke.She and Ray said their hellos and Felicity tried to ignore the way Ray’s eyes lingered on Sara’s cleavage, exposed by her snug, low-necked top. 

“I work at the resort.Oliver was nice enough to give me a lift this morning so I could do some shopping in town,” Sara explained. “So, you two are going to Makatea?”

“We hope,” Felicity remarked, 

“Oh, you’re going to love it.It’s beautiful.Are you from the States?”

Ray nodded. “Yes, Starling City.”

“You’re serious?Get out!I grew up there.Good times.”  

The pilot— Oliver— snorted at that.Felicity sensed another inside joke. 

“Hey, Ollie, look what I picked up.”Sara pulled a scrap of fabric out of one of her bags.Felicity gaped at it. She held it up for him to see.“Check it out.Hot, right?” 

“What is it?”

“It’s a bathing suit!”She smacked him on the arm again.Oliver chuckled and looked back at Ray exchanging a wink with him.Felicity fought the urge to make a disgusted noise. 

“I thought it was an eye patch,” Ray said with a laugh.  

Annoyed, Felicity turned her attention to the small window next to her seat.She watched as the plane maneuvered into position at the end of the runway and then started to taxi for takeoff.Felicity gripped the arm rests of her seat, knowing that any sort of bracing was likely futile.But the takeoff was smooth and the plane rose into the air, sailing out over the ocean within moments.  

She had to admit, the flight was a lot smoother than she’d expected.Ray and Oliver and Sara talked, but Felicity tuned them out, still annoyed from before but also taken with the scenery beneath the plane.The ocean was bluer than anything she’d ever seen.Every now and then, she could see islands they flew over, each of them looking small and deserted.She wondered just how many islands there were out here.  

At one point, Sara reached into a little cooler and brought out some cans of soda, offering it to them as refreshment.Felicity accepted a can of ginger ale, realizing she was quite thirsty.Sara asked her a little about their plans for while they were in Makatea and she realized the other woman was quite nice.It turned out, she was a bit of a “jack of all trades” at the resort.She was a dancer, doing a show for the guests a couple nights a week.But she also worked as a bartender and also taught couple’s yoga in the mornings and lead a popular hiking activity to a nearby waterfall.Felicity made a mental note to add those activities to their itinerary.  

The flight lasted a couple of hours. Felicity began to understand why a boat ride might take three days, especially if it was pleasure cruise, stopping at various islands along the way.Soon, Makatea rose up before them and Oliver landed the plane, on a long, grassy airstrip.The entire trip had been smooth and uneventful and Felicity was starting to feel as though she’d misjudged Oliver and his tiny plane.As he put the breaks on, he turned around and said, “Welcome to Makatea.”

“Enjoy your stay,” Sara added.

“Thanks for the ride,” Ray said, shaking both of their hands.  

A Jeep waited alongside the strip to take them to the hotel check in.Felicity was more than ready to get there and helped as much as she could to get the luggage dislodged so she could be on her way to her vacation.She felt the weight of Oliver’s eyes on her rear more than once and even caught him.He just grinned and shrugged.  

What an insufferable man! 

Ray joined her in the vehicle, taking her hand in his. Their driver took off down a small gravel path, and Felicity hoped they wouldn’t be running into their pilot again until it was time to leave this place.He may have gotten them here in one piece, but there was something about the way he watched her that made her think it was better they didn’t cross paths again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Ray begin to enjoy their vacation on Maketea and Ray has a big question to ask Felicity. Plus, Felicity has a run-in with a drunken Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I didn't post yesterday! I got busy with the family and before I knew it, the day was mostly over. Here's the next chapter where we have more Ray/Felicity, and I apologize, but this is where things take a turn. Your patience will be rewarded!

 

Felicity and Ray followed the bellhop as he lead the way from the cart to their own private bungalow, set over the water.Felicity felt like her head was on a swivel, trying to take in everything all at once.The ocean was so blue and the sand was a glorious tan… Then there were the trees and vegetation that framed the beach.And the dark brown of each bungalow, with their thatched roofs, was such a contrast.. She couldn’t wait to get inside and see their home for the next week.  

“Welcome to paradise, you two,” the bellhop said as he unlocked the door.Ray hung back to tip the man but Felicity pushed forward, anxious to see the accommodations.The brochure hadn’t shown much and her curiosity had roamed wild.  

There was a living room that opened onto a spacious deck, right over the water, with a hot tub set into it.Yep, she was going to be soaking in that bad boy later on.Off the living room was the bedroom which was almost as big and also opened onto the deck which appeared to wrap around the entire back half of the bungalow. An enormous king-sized canopy bed dominated the space, gauzy mosquito netting hanging down and fluffy white linens beckoning.Felicity ran a hand along the bedspread, stifling a groan when she realized how soft it was. 

And, true to the brochure, there was windows set into the floor that showed the water beneath their bungalow.Several colorful fish swam by, as though on cue. Felicity grinned.  

The bathroom was a whole other marvel.There was a huge tub, almost as big and feature loaded as the hot tub out on the deck.There was also an enormous shower that was almost as big as her whole bathroom back in her apartment at home. Waterfall shower heads ensured that no one would be the cold one at the back of the shower and there was even a _bench_ to sit on.Felicity glanced at that for a long moment, imagining what exactly someone might need a seat in a shower for.  

She was getting ahead of herself.When she rejoined Ray in the living room, the bellhop was gone and he had their suitcases set off to the sit.He beamed at her.  

“Well?What do you think?”

“I think this place is _amazing_ ,” she declared.Then, she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug.  

“I’m glad you like it,” he murmured.  

“Like it?I never want to leave!”

“How about we try out the hot tub?Or we can lay on the deck chairs.Or the beach, if you’d rather.”

“Is there drink service at the beach?” Felicity asked with a grin. 

“Of course there is.”

“Then let’s do the beach.”  

“Anything you wish,” Ray agreed. “I want this to be the most unforgettable vacation of our lives.”

Felicity gave a little squeal and clapped her hands together before turning to retrieve her suitcase.She knew just what suit she’d wear to the beach too.She’d gone on a bit of a shopping spree before they’d left town and couldn’t wait to show off all the pretty things she’d bought to Ray. 

She dug the sexy little bikini out and then shut herself in the bathroom to change, leaving Ray the room.He’d been a little quiet today, likely stressed about the traveling and tired as well.They’d been on the move since five in the morning.She felt tired too, but that’s nothing a little sand and surf (and a stiff mai tai) wouldn’t solve. 

He seemed determined that she have the perfect time on this trip.No matter how many times she’d told him that just going on this vacation, getting out of Starling and spending the time with him was already enough to make it perfect, he still wouldn’t let it go.She was starting to worry a little, remembering how she’d babbled on about couples breaking up in restaurants to him.What was the statistics on couples that broke up on vacation together?

She didn’t think she wanted to know. 

Felicity loved Ray, she knew she did.He was the first boyfriend she’d managed to maintain a relationship with since her college days.Everyone before him had grown resentful of her career drive.Or been a one night stand.She wasn’t too proud of those.But Ray was a smart, driven, successful man with similar ambitions as her.Sure, sometimes she thought he overthought things and sometimes she needed a little space from him, but all things considered, they fit together well.Everyone around them thought so.  

But they did spend most of their time working and Felicity worried that maybe whatever spark had brought them together, was fading.Maybe Ray sensed that too.Maybe that’s what this trip was about, rekindling the spark.Finding the romance again.The adventure.She promised herself to give it her all.Ray was the best thing to come along in years and she wasn’t going to let him just slip through her fingers. 

She pushed the thoughts from her mind and focused on changing into her cute-as-hell bikini.For the duration of this week, her thoughts were going to stay focused on enjoying herself.It’d been far too long since she’d had a vacation. 

***

Later that night, after several glorious sun-soaked hours on the sand, they both got cleaned up, dressed up and headed out for dinner.A day on the beach had been grand, and Felicity had spent her time cultivating the tan that had faded during the autumn and winter months.

They walked along the beat, the sand now cool with the sun behind the horizon. Felicity had her sandals in one hand so she could feel the sand between her toes as they walked.Tipping her head back, Ray’s hand in hers, she could see so many stars… more than she’d ever seen before.The waves crashed, the breeze blew the scent of ocean and tropical flowers and music from the bar played in the distance.  

“This place is just perfect,” Felicity sighed. 

“We still have about a half hour until our dinner reservation,” Ray told her.“Want to stop at the bar for a cocktail first?”

“Sure, that sounds nice.”

They continued down the beach towards the bar that was already filled with vacationers.Ray squeezed her hand and stopped several yards away from the bar, pulling her to stop next to him. 

“I’m glad you’re having such a great time.”

“This trip was a fantastic idea. It’s just what I needed to get away from the stress of work.”Already, just part of one day here and she already felt loads better.Perhaps she _had_ been working too hard lately.  

“I admit, I maybe had an ulterior motive for bringing you here, besides just escaping work,” Ray admitted. 

“Oh really?” Felicity wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him, allowing her smile to grow suggestive.“Is it all the kinky island sex you were hoping to have?”

Ray laughed at that.“Okay, maybe that too.”He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before moving away. “Do you know what today is?”

Felicity wracked her mind.“I have no idea.A Tuesday?”

“It’s our anniversary.”

Oh, god.She should have known that.Shouldn’t she have known that? “We have an anniversary?” she asked, before wincing.That sounded callous.  

Luckily, Ray just chuckled.“Yes, unofficially.It was three years ago today that we met.”

“Really?Today?”

“Don’t you remember? My assistant had called you up to work on my computer and you gave me a hard time about the configuration.”

“Well, to be fair, you had a crappy file management system at the time.How you ever found anything you needed, I have no idea.”

“I knew where to look.”

“But I made it better.”

Ray smiled and leaned down to peck at her lips again.“Yes, you did.I’m glad you did.”

“So began a beautiful friendship,” Felicity remarked.

“You look beautiful tonight.”

Felicity flushed at the compliment.She was wearing a long, flowing linen dress that hugged her curves before the slitted hem flirted around her calves.The spaghetti straps left her arms bare to the warm evening breeze and her hair flowed in casual waves around her shoulders.It wasn’t a fancy look, but she felt _free_.  

“I was wondering, though, if you might wear something for me tonight.”

Felicity’s brow furrowed as she tried to think of anything she might have left off.“Sure, but what’d you have in mind?”The dress was perfect as it was, if she did say so herself, and she didn’t need a wrap; the air was warm enough that evening.Sure, she could have put on some earrings but with her hair down, she felt she could get away with it as it was.Then… she looked down to see Ray holding up a glittering ring between them.  

It must have been in his pocket.He… he was planning this!He was _proposing_!Felicity gasped, a hand coming up to cover her mouth as she gaped at the large, oval cut stone. 

“Ray…”

“Felicity, will you marry me?”

“Oh, holy cow,” she breathed.Felicity couldn’t take her eyes off the ring.How was it that she hadn’t seen this coming?Was it too soon?They had known each other for three years, been dating for about two of those years.It was a logical next step and… in that moment the whole reason for this trip became crystal clear. 

Ray had been planning to ask her to marry him since he first planned the trip.It was so… over the top and so romantic and just so… _Ray_.Felicity knew she was young, knew she had a lot on her plate, career-wise… but Ray had always been supportive of her ambitions.He was the one who promoted her to VP of R &D, after all.If she were to marry anyone, he was the sanest choice because he’d never question her commitment to her job.  

Felicity smiled up at him and nodded.“Yes, I’ll marry you!” 

Grinning, Ray slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her again. As Felicity kissed him back, she tried not to notice the weight of the ring on her finger and instead focused on how right this decision felt.Ray was her future, she’d known that before this trip.This just made it real. 

***

Oliver swayed the music of the live band who were playing some sort of soulful reggae music, intended to have the tourists dancing and flirting with one another.He was working on his fourth drink.Or was it fifth?He should have been paying closer attention.After a long day, this was his favorite way to unwind. 

His mind drifted to Sara, to Shado, to McKenna… to any number of the other women who had graced his bed… 

Okay, maybe his _second_ favorite way to unwind. 

Speaking of which… maybe a little female companionship would be just the thing tonight.Sara was busy with the tourists and they weren’t an exclusive thing anyhow.Fuck buddies, that was the proper term for it.But she wasn’t available to fuck so he’d have to go sniffing elsewhere… 

A lot of the guests at the resort were couples but there were plenty of singles singles around, more women than men.Girls would sometimes come in a group together, share a bungalow.Over the years, Oliver had become quite adept at honing in on those, working them over with his charm, bringing them back to his place.

This could be why he had a bit of a reputation around Maketea. 

Hitting up the clubs in Pape’ete was a lot more fun, and a lot bigger pond to swim in, but while he was on the island, the tourists could be fun to play with.That is, if he was careful that they didn’t get too attached.Luckily, most women on vacation knew that flings were temporary and weren’t interested in anything more. It was the perfect situation for a guy like him, who wanted to only keep things simple and uncomplicated. 

He finished off his drink and as he was setting the empty glass on the bar top, he noticed a girl sitting a few stools down, admiring her fingernails.She was gorgeous; blonde and petite with delicious looking curves.Something about her struck him, and it felt like something important but the thought couldn’t quite make it through his buzzed haze.Grinning, he made his way to her side.  

“This place is pretty gorgeous, but it has nothing on you,” Oliver told her as he leaned against the bar next to her, proud that he wasn’t slurring his words too much.  

She looked up at him (she had the most amazing grey blue eyes) and blinked, a little wrinkle forming between her brows.  

“How long have you been on Maketea?” he asked. 

The wrinkle disappeared. “You’re kidding, I hope.”

“I wouldn’t kid such a pretty girl as you.”Okay, maybe he slurred a little that time.Maybe he should have not had that last glass of rum. 

“You brought me here,” she said.“Today?You remember that, right?”

Oliver tried to think back to earlier today, when he’d been in Pape’ete.Had he met this girl there and brought her back here with him?Then… he pictured her in a short flirty sundress, sunglasses perched on her nose, wrinkling that same nose at his plane.

“Oh!Damn, a lot has happened since then…” Five rums had happened since then.Oliver tried to perch on the stool next to hers and fell off instead, just catching himself before he crashed to the floor.  

“You okay?” the girl called, biting her lip.  

He tried again, this time finding purchase on the stool. “Yep, I’m good.So good.”

“I can see that.”She smirked at him.Damn, she was cute. 

He knew he was grinning at her but the rum made it to where he didn’t care. “You’re even more beautiful than you were earlier today,” he told her. 

The smile slipped off her face so fast he thought he might have imagined it. “So where is your, uh… co-pilot.” 

“Who?” He didn’t have any co-pilot.It was just him up there, flying through the sky.Always just him.But then he thought back to earlier today…“Oh!You mean Sara?”

The girl nodded.  

Oliver waved a hand.“She’s busy with the tourists.” He added an eye-roll for effect. 

“You don’t sound like a big fan of tourists,” the girl said.What was her name?He wished he knew her name.“I recognize the tone; I grew up in Vegas.”

“Oh, I think the tourists are great. I mean, without them, I couldn’t be here, right?They put money in my pocket, food on my table, all that.”He leaned forward a little and winked at her.“Plus some of them are fucking hot.”

The girl’s lips pursed together and she looked rather displeased with him.Oliver thought that was a little strange, girls usually melted when he gave them this kind of attention.Was he losing his touch?  

“Yeah, you seem like a real charmer,” the girl said, eyeing him but without interest.More like… disgust.That bugged him a little. 

“I am, though,” he insisted. “Either way, the tourists are good for a laugh.”

“Oh, and you like to laugh, don’t you?”

“Oh yes.”Oliver straightened and swallowed a hiccup.“You see, I think it’s funny that they all come here looking for _magic_.They expect to find romance when they can’t find it at home.”

The girl was watching him close, what he’d said seemed to affect her.“But maybe they will find it here.This is a pretty romantic place.”

Oliver scoffed and held up a finger to the bartender, Eddie was his name, signaling for another drink.He looked back at the girl, who was biting her lip again.“It’s an island, babe.If you don’t bring it here, you won’t find it here.”

She studied him for another long moment, before looking down at her hands again.Eddie brought him another rum, setting it in front of him and Oliver didn’t waste any time taking a healthy drink.  

“You’re quite the island philosopher.And a pilot.You should charge double,” she murmured.  

“Let me buy you a drink,” he offered, ready to signal Eddie again. 

Now, the girl’s eyes snapped with annoyance.“I’m here with someone, remember?We flew in together.”

Fuck, that’s right.He remembered now.Tall guy with dark hair.Kinda smarmy looking.Seen one, seen ‘em all.“Oh sure. I meant both of you.”

The girl pursed her lips again, tilting her head to the side and disbelief radiated from her small form. “No, you didn’t.”

“You’re a testy little thing, aren’t you?”He bet she was a wildcat in bed. 

Just then, the guy he’d just pictured in his mind appeared at the girl’s other side.Oliver noticed a proprietary hand placed on her shoulder as the other man looked at him with a mild expression.He had a sudden urge to knock that hand off of her. 

“Hey, is everything okay?” the guy asked the girl. 

She nodded and glanced back at Oliver.  

“Hi, there.Nice to see you again,” Oliver greeted him. 

The guy nodded.“Yeah, you too.”

“Hey, let me buy guys a drink.”

The girl was shaking her head while the guy perked up, looking hopeful.“Oh, that’s—“ 

She cut him off. “Let’s go.”  

“Oops, looks like we’re leaving.We have reservations.”  

The girl was sliding off her stool and leading the guy away by the arm.  

“Some other time then,” Oliver called after them as the dancing crowd swallowed them.  

He turned around to face the bar once more and picked up his drink, gulping at the contents.“Tourists,” he muttered. 

***

The next morning, after an invigorating morning yoga session with Sara, Felicity and Ray once again commandeered some lounge chairs on the beach.A well-built young waiter kept the drinks coming while the sun baked their bodies.They hadn’t spoken much since they got to the beach; Ray was reading something on his tablet reader and Felicity’s mind wandered. 

She kept thinking back to last night.There was Ray’s proposal which had taken her by such surprise that she still couldn’t believe he’d done it.Or that she’d said yes.Glancing down at the ring which glinted in the sun, she bit her lip.Her mother would tell her to stop worrying.Or would she?Donna Smoak had met Ray a couple times, of course, on her visits to Starling to see Felicity.She gushed over Ray and went on and on about gorgeous he was.But the last time she’d seen her mother, she’d asked Felicity how she felt about Ray.Of course, Felicity had assured her mother that she loved him but now she wondered what had brought her mother to even ask that.  

Felicity made a mental note to call her mother as soon as she could.Of course there wasn’t much in the way of cell service on this island and she didn’t feel like borrowing the hotel phone at the concierge desk just to call her mother.She’d wait until they were back in Pape’ete, waiting for their plane back to the States. 

Then, Felicity’s thoughts turned to their pilot from yesterday.She recalled his name was Oliver.She’d been so surprised when he’d started hitting on her at the bar last night that she hadn’t known what to say.He hadn’t even remembered her at first and when he did (or at least when he claimed he did), he kept hitting on her.Even though he knew she was here with someone.Of course, she knew with his body and his smile and those gorgeous eyes of his, he most likely could have any girl he wanted, whenever he wanted her.Relationship status be damned.  

Insufferable. 

Now she _really_ hoped they didn’t see him again until it was time to leave.Felicity couldn’t bear another awkward exchange with the guy. 

Next to her, Ray finally set his tablet down.He looked over and smiled at her.“Not bad for a Wednesday afternoon, right?’

“Sure beats a meeting,” she agreed. 

“Well done, ocean,” he said to the waves, lapping at the beach just feet from their toes.“Well done, sky.”Puffy white clouds dotted the vivid blue sky, like something out of a picture book. 

“Well done, mai tais.”Felicity held up her drink and toasted him before taking a long drink through the straw.It was hard to care about much when there was rum to drink, she was learning. 

“Well done, silicone,” Ray murmured.“Oh, my.” 

Felicity glanced over to see a woman walk by, wearing a tiny bikini that hid nothing from view.  

Then she glared at Ray and smacked his arm. 

“Ow.Hey.” 

“No more ogling the girls,” she cautioned him. 

Ray winked at her.“I’m spoken for, aren’t I?” 

“Damn right you are.”

Chuckling, he settled back against his lounge chair.“I’m getting a little toasty here,” he remarked.  

Felicity grinned.“You want me to get the sunscreen?”

“You’d do that for me?You’d cream me up?”

She laughed at that.“Only for you.”Felicity sat up and rummaged through the tote bag they’d brought down to the beach with them, looking for the sunscreen.She’d just found it when one of the staff appeared, clearing his throat.  

“Excuse me, Miss Smoak?There’s a phone call for you at the bar.”

Felicity blinked in surprise.Who the heck would be calling her here?“I do?”

“Yes, if you’ll just follow me.The man on the phone said it was urgent.” 

Oh god.She hoped it wasn’t her mother.Felicity paled a little as she looked to Ray.He nodded at her.“Go ahead, take it. I’ll be right here.”

“Okay.”Felicity got up and followed the guy back to the bar.The bartender handed her the phone and she lifted the receiver.“Hello? Miss Smoak, speaking.”

“Felicity, this is Gerry.I’m so sorry to be calling you on your vacation but I knew you’d want me to call you about this.” 

Her assistant?“Gerry?What’s going on?”

“It’s the Merlyn Global merger.Just like you predicted, the bastard waited until you were out of town to agree to meet on this.”

Felicity sat on one of the stools.“Merlyn agreed to meet?But that’s great!Just schedule it for next Tuesday. I’ll be back in the office and we can—“

“That’s the thing though,” Gerry interrupted.“He said it has to be tomorrow.Some excuse about having other business to take care of at the end of this week, start of next week.He was insistent about this being on his terms.”

Ugh.Fucking asshole.“Yeah, that sounds like him alright.Okay, well can you call Curtis in to meet with them in my stead?” 

“No can do, boss lady.Merlyn was quite specific about wanting you to be present at the call.” 

“Okay, then I can see if we can set up a Skype here at the hotel…” She trailed off as she met the bartender’s eye.He was shaking his head at her.“Gerry, can you hold on a second?”Felicity put a hand over the mouthpiece and addressed the bartender. “What is it?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am.There’s no internet service on the island.” 

Felicity boggled.“You mean at _all_?No email?No Facebook?”

He shook his head. 

“No Google?”

He shook his head again. 

What kind of place _was_ this?No internet?Was this 1990?She removed her hand from the phone.“Gerry, there’s no internet here.”

“What?You mean at all?” Gerry sounded as incredulous as she was. 

“Apparently not.I didn’t think such a place existed.”  

“Me either.”Gerry sounded impressed. 

“Well…”Her mind raced as she tried to think of a solution.“There’s internet back in Pape’ete. I guess… I can fly back there?Do a Skype session and then fly back here?”

“I think that’ll work.Let me give his office a quick call to see if that’ll work and get a time from him.” 

Felicity hung up and ran her hands through her hair.Ray was _not_ going to like her having to interrupt their vacation.But it was just one day and it was for the good of his company.He couldn’t be too upset, right?She glanced up at the bartender who was drying a glass and look at her with sympathy.“Can I get two mai tais?” she asked him. 

He smiled.“Sure thing.” 

He’d just set the drinks in front of her when the phone rang again.The bartender answered and after a brief moment, passed the phone to her.  

“What’s the story, Gerry?”

There was a sigh on the other line. “He said the Skype was okay but he wants to do it at 8am tomorrow morning.” 

“What?That means I’d have to fly out of here today.Tonight!”

“I’m so sorry, Felicity.”

She sighed.“Well, there’s not much I can do about it.This merger is huge for us.I’ve been working on this for the last six months.I have to see it through.”

“Ray will understand.”

“He’s going to have to.”  

Felicity hung up with Gerry and took a long drink from her mai tai before standing up, grabbing both drinks and heading back to Ray to break the news.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank all of you who are reading along with this. I know this probably won't be my most popular fic, but I had fun writing it and that's what's important. I'm on the last chapter now and a little sad to say goodbye! It's been a fun ride and I really hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity has to beg Oliver to fly her back to Pape'ete, much to Ray's dismay. But the flight encounters a little bit of meteorological difficulty along the way...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are awesome. Thank you for reading this with me! Judging from your comments, I think you'll enjoy some of the stuff coming up.

 

Felicity didn’t tell Ray much when she returned to the chairs, just that there was some business that she had to attend to right away and she would explain everything back at their bungalow.  Ray looked confused and she felt a stab of guilt.  In all truth, she was putting off telling him because of how disappointed she knew he’d be.  

As it was, Ray had seemed concerned and she assured him that everything was okay, that her mother was fine.  And then she hurried away like her ass was on fire lest he see the guilt she knew colored all her features. 

Felicity went to the reception desk first thing, to ask about a plane or a helicopter or whatever to Pape’ete.  When they told her that Verdant Air was the only transportation currently on the island, her heart plummeted.  The man at the desk told her they had a helicopter on call for emergencies but her little work fiasco wasn’t enough of an emergency by their standards.  This meant she had to go track down Oliver the Pilot and ask him to fly her back to Tahiti. 

She got directions to his little bungalow which was set back a little ways from the rest of the resort.  If fate wanted to be kind to her, he wouldn’t have any memory of hitting on her in the bar last night.  

As she approached the small building, she heard some curious noises from within.  She remembered his flirting, remembered his casual appreciation of Sara the day before and flushed.  God, she hoped she wasn’t interrupting some strange sex thing.  Taking a deep breath, she lifted her first and knocked on the door.  The noises stopped and a moment later, Sara opened the door. 

She was wearing clothes, thank good, and holding a couple of strange looking paddles in her hand.  Sara smiled at her in recognition. “Hey!  Felicity, right? You were in my yoga class this morning.” 

“That’s right,” Felicity replied.  “Uhm, I was wondering if Oliver was here?  The front desk told me I could find him here…” 

Sara turned and called into the room.  “Ollie, you have a visitor.” 

A groan sounded and a moment later, Oliver appeared in the door.  He was shirtless again, but at least he was wearing shorts.  Sara slapped his ass before retreating back into the bungalow.  He grinned a dopey smile after her before turning his attention to Felicity.  He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. 

“I was getting a massage.”

She really didn’t need details. “Mr…. Uh, Oliver, I’m so sorry to interrupt you but I sort of have an emergency and I was hoping you could help me out.”

His eyes were drifting down her figure and she knew he was cataloguing what she looked like.  She still wore her bikini but had a sarong tied around her hips so all her curves were, more or less, on display.  He lingered, predictably, on her chest.  “What sorta emergency?”

“I need to travel to Pape’ete tonight to deal with a sudden work emergency.  It’s very important I get there.  Just overnight, coming back tomorrow.  Please, you’re my only hope.”

His eyebrows shot up.  “I remember you.  I flew you here with your boyfriend yesterday.”

“Yes.  And you hit on me last night.”

A grin bloomed across his handsome face.  “I did?  That was _you_?”

“Yes, that was me.”

Oliver laughed.  “God, I was wasted.”

“I know.”

“I’d love to help you out but…” He glanced over his shoulder and from around his form Felicity could see Sara sitting on the edge of a bed, paddles still in hand.  “I’m sorta on my layover, here.”

Felicity came prepared to negotiate.  “Would $500 cut your layover short?”

Oliver looked tempted.  He hummed and turned to Sara.  “Wanna go to Pape’ete?”

Sara shook her head.  “Can’t.  I have a show tonight.  It’s Tamure Night.”

A lecherous grin spread across his features.  Felicity couldn’t begin to guess what Tamure Night was.  

“It’s Tamure Night.  My hands are tied.”  Then he laughed and winked at her.  “Oh, wait, that’s for later.”

Felicity flushed but refused to let him chase her off just yet.  She wasn’t done yet.  She needed to appeal to his kindness.  “I’m really stuck here… this is important to me.  I need to be there and I need to be there tonight.  You would be doing me a huge favor.”  Oliver looked unimpressed.  Felicity sighed; maybe appealing to his wallet was the better tactic.  “How about $700?”

Oliver stilled for a moment and his expression sobered.  He nodded at her and smiled.  “Okay.”

“Yeah?  You’ll do it?”

“Yeah.   I’ll meet you at the plane, give me an hour to gather some stuff for overnight.”

Relief gusted over her and Felicity blew out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding in.  “Great!  Thank you so much.  You’re a lifesaver.”

“No problem.”  

He shut the door and Felicity turned to walk back to her bungalow, where Ray was waiting.  The smile fell off her face.  He was waiting for an explanation of what was going on.  She hoped he would take it better than she was expecting he would.

***

“Overnight?  You’ll be gone for a full day?!”  Ray was pacing the length of the small living room in their bungalow.  His jaw was tight and his eyes were hard as he looked at her. 

“Yes, just a day and then I’ll be back and we can enjoy the rest of our vacation.”  Felicity stood, rooted to the spot, wringing her hands.  

“I want to enjoy _all_ our vacation, including tonight and tomorrow.  This is bullshit, Felicity.”

“But it’s for the company.  You’re the CEO, you _know_ how important this merger with Merlyn Global is.  You know how long I’ve been working on this.”

“Is it more important than me?  Than us spending this time together?”  Hurt laced his voice, making her guilt flare.  

“Ray, no. Of course not.  But if I don’t go, I’ll be thinking about it and worrying about it and I don’t want that to hang over the rest of our time together.”

Ray stopped pacing and regarded her.  His expression softened and he heaved a sigh. “I don’t want that.”

“Neither do I.  If I go, I can get this done, come back, and be ready to just relax and do nothing with you for the rest of the week,” she promised him. 

“I love that you care so much about my company, but I can’t help but wish that right now, you cared a little less,” he admitted, stepping forward and placing his hands on her shoulders. 

“I’ll miss you.”  She pushed up on her toes to give him a quick kiss.  “Why don’t you come with me?”

“I thought about it.”

“It’d be fun!  We could go out to eat tonight and wake up in each other’s arms in the morning…”

“Yes, but if I go with you, I’ll just be resenting that I’m there and not here, enjoying the resort.  If you go, I’ll miss you but you’ll miss me too and feel bad for leaving me. I think I like that option a bit better.”

“Do you forgive me?” she asked, hopeful. 

He smiled down at her and pecked her on the lips.  “I already have.”

While he was still a little sulky, Ray was true to his word and even helped her pack up a small bag for overnight and rode with her in the Jeep her to the grass landing strip. He held her hand as helped her out of the Jeep and gave her a lengthy, appreciative goodbye.  He had his arms wrapped around her and the evening breeze was whipping around them.  The sun already starting to set behind the darkening clouds on the horizon… it made a bit of a romantic picture in her mind.  

“You ready to go?” a voice interrupted them.  Oliver was hopping off a cart, a bag slung over his shoulder. 

“Yes, I am,” she assured him.  She said another goodbye to Ray and watched as he got in the Jeep.  She kept her eyes on him until the Jeep had disappeared around the corner of the airstrip. 

“Done mooning over your boyfriend?” 

Felicity turned to Oliver and made a face.  “Fiancé, I”ll have you know,” she corrected, showing him the ring glinting on her finger. 

“That’s a new development,” he remarked as he lead her to the plane.  “Pretty sure that ring wasn’t there yesterday.”

“Last night, in fact.”

“And yet you’re leaving him to go deal with a work emergency.”  Oliver smiled and shook his head.  “Takes all kinds, I guess.”

Felicity’s brow furrowed as she approached the plane.  That sounded a little… judgey.  But whatever.  She knew this guy was kinda blunt and crass and uncivilized.  A short plane ride and he’d be out of her hair for the duration of her time in Pape’ete.  Looking up, she noticed the clouds were gathering, darkening the sky, and the breeze was more of a whipping wind than before.  

She gestured at the sky. “Is it safe to fly?”

“It is with me,” he assured her with a grin, opening up the door on the side for her.  “I checked the weather reports before I left my place and it looks like this will blow to the west of where we’ll be going.  And I’m a damn good pilot.”

“Oh, you’re that good, huh?” she said with a smirk. 

“The best you’ve ever been with.”  Felicity caught the double meaning that laced the remark and she couldn’t fight her flush as she climbed into the plane.  She just _knew_ he was staring at her ass in her sundress as she climbed in.  

As she settled on her seat, she turned to him. “I’m not sure I trust your equipment.”

Instead of looking burned as he should have, his eyebrows just shot up. “Never had any complaints before.  Quite the opposite.”  Then the door of the plane slammed shut before she could do much more than gape.  

Insufferable man.  

Felicity watched as he climbed in the pilot’s seat and adjusted his seat.  Then, he turned towards her.  “Do you, uh, have my money?” he asked.

“Oh!  That’s right.”  She dug in her purse and found her wallet.  She drew out seven one-hundred dollar bills and handed the pile to him. “It’s all there.”

“Thanks.  I trust you.”  He winked at her as he tucked the money into his pocket.  Then, he got busy with the flight preparations and Felicity watched out the window as they taxied down the airstrip and lifted off in to the sky, already gathering with dusk. 

***

Felicity went over the paperwork that Gerry had faxed to the hotel front desk for the first hour or so of the flight.  It had annoyed her that the resort had a fax machine but no internet.  Were they stuck in the 1990’s?   From a business standpoint, she understood the need for the basic technology to do business.  And she recognized that the lack of internet was actually framed as an _amenity_ to their guests.  Though right now, as she bounced through turbulence and listened to rain patter at her window, it didn’t feel like much of an amenity. 

She sure hoped Ray was enjoying the dinner show that she was missing out on.  She was also missing a dancing show that everyone at the resort had been raving about.

“Out of curiosity,” Oliver began, breaking the silence that had been only cut with occasional chatter over his radio, “What is your business?  What do you do back in Starling City?”

“Small talk?”  Despite her tone, she was a bit glad to have something to focus on other than all this paperwork.  Flying didn’t agree with her and instead of taking her mind off the jolting of the tiny plane, it was only compounding her anxiety. 

“Sure.  Why not.  What else do we have to do for the duration?”

“I’m the Vice President of Research and Development at Palmer Technologies.” 

“Palmer, eh?  Isn’t that your boyfriend’s last name?”

“Fiancé.  And yes.”

“So, it’s his company.  Is that how you met?”

She felt a little uncomfortable with this venue but answered anyhow. “Yes, we met on the job.”

“So why isn’t he here with you?”

“Well, this merger… the reason I need to be in Pape’ete where there’s internet and I can Skype into the meeting… is my baby.  He’s the top dog but isn’t in on the deal,” she explained. 

“But wouldn’t he come with you as your boyfriend— I’m sorry, _fiancé_ — just to be with you?”

She saw what he was implying and it irritated her.  Because that’s what she’d thought ever since Ray had turned down her offer for him to come with her.  What Oliver was saying spoke to her insecurity and she didn’t like that.  Not one bit.  “He wanted to stay in Maketea.”

“Hmm.”  

Felicity heard a world of judgement in that hum. 

“You make it sound like he doesn’t love me. He just proposed last night!” 

“What are you getting all defensive about?” 

“I’m not defensive.  You made a noise.”

“I just thought…” Oliver trailed off and cleared his throat.  “If I was on vacation with a pretty woman and had just asked her to marry me, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight for more than about five minutes at a time.  That’s all.”

Felicity blinked.  That surprised her.  That _he_ would say that… he didn’t seem like the committed type, he didn’t even seem like the romantic type.  She didn’t know him and her impression was that he went through women like they were tissues.  

As though he could sense her thoughts, Oliver turned his neck to look at her. “Just because I live a simple life doesn’t mean I don’t understand what it’s like to be in love.”

Felicity swallowed what she was going to say. Oliver turned back to look out the window.  It was pitch black, rain lashing at the plane, winds buffeting them.  There wasn’t much to see.  

“Yeah, I wish he’d come along,” she admitted at last.  

“I’m sorry.”

There was silence for a moment.  Maybe Oliver wasn’t as big of a meathead as she’d initially thought.  The more Felicity thought about it, the more she felt awful for judging him at all.  She didn’t know this guy and while they’d gotten off on the wrong foot, it didn’t mean he was a bad person.  And the whole point was that she didn’t know him.  There were whole facets to him that she knew nothing about.  

Food for thought, she guessed. 

They flew on and the weather got even worse.  Felicity was trying not to worry but every time the little plane bounced or lightning flashed nearby, she’d gasp and grab at her armrests.  She was fine as long as Oliver didn’t seem worried and he didn’t.  At least at first.  But then… 

She watched as he picked up the radio and spoke into it. “Island Flight Watch, Beaver 0318.  We are at 3,500, on a heading of 110.  Looking for a weather update along our route of flight, please advise.”

He let go of the button and there was some static, then a man’s voice “Be advised… southwesterly…” The static broke up what he was saying.  

“Say again?”  His voice was tense and Felicity was all at once on edge.

More static.  

“Shit.” He switched the radio off.  He checked a few more gauges and then glanced back at her.  “I’m sorry.  This weather did something completely different than the forecast said.  We’re going to have to turn back to Maketea.  It’s just not worth a risk.”

He pulled on the yoke and the plane dipped to the side, turning around.  Felicity grabbed onto her armrests again.  “Okay…whatever you think…”

The clear concern in his voice went straight to her gut and she could feel her anxiety start to crest.  

“A line of storms has us boxed in, I’ve gotta fly us through it but it should be better back the way we came than the way we were headed.  Tighten your belt, it’s gonna get bumpy.”

And it’d hadn’t been bumpy so far?

A loud crack and a flash sounded just beyond the window and Felicity yelped in spite of herself.  She unbuckled her belt and moved up to the front seat. “Uh, do you… do you mind if I sit up here?  With you?” 

“Sure.  Just get your seat belt on!”

The plane jolted and she almost lost her balance.  As quick as she could, Felicity dropped into the seat, pulling her purse with her and fastened her seat belt.  While Oliver struggled with the steering yoke, Felicity dug in her purse until she found a little bottle that she was in desperate need of at the moment.  She pulled it out, popped the lid off and spilled one of the pills inside into her palm.  

Oliver glanced at her as she swallowed it dry.  “What are those?” 

“Benzos.  My doctor prescribed them for situations of tension. This definitely qualifies.”

“Give me a few,” he said, holding out a hand. 

“Heck no.  You just steer us out of this.”

Oliver chuckled.  But a lightning strike wiped the expression off his face.  He went back to concentrating on flying and Felicity tried to keep her nerves under control… at least until the benzos took effect.  She popped another, just to be safe. 

Fifteen minutes later, the situation had gone from bad to worse.  Oliver still couldn’t contact anyone on the radio and the turbulence had gone from being bumpy to jolting them from side to side as though they were a child’s toy.  Felicity poured a few more benzos into her palm and swallowed them. 

“What are you taking now?” Oliver asked. 

“Benzos,” she explained and she felt like she was talking around a mouth full of cotton balls. But damn, she was finally starting to feel calmer. “My do-ter ‘scribed them for sitch-ations of sension…”

“Give me those,” Oliver barked, reaching over and grabbling the bottle from her before tossing them into the back of the plane. 

A moment later, there was a blinding flash of light and the plane lurched to one side.  The resulting clap of thunder was deafening.  “Woo!  That was close!” Felicity crowed with delight, now feeling blissfully unconcerned. 

Oliver fiddled with the controls and the radio no longer issued static.  “Damn.”  He whacked at the instrument with his fist.  “That was more than close.  That hit us.”

“No!  Really?” Felicity fought the urge to giggle.  It shouldn’t be funny, lshe knew that.  But for some reason, in that moment, she was finding it hilarious. Oliver, on the other hand, was less amused. 

“Yes.  Shit!  It fried the radio.”

“Oh, no,” she said, attempting the proper level of concern.  “Thass bad, innit?  That sounds like it’d be _super_ bad.”

“Uh, yeah.  It’s bad.  Super fucking bad.   Fuck!”  He picked up the radio again.  “Mayday, mayday, mayday.  This is Beaver 0318. I don’t know if you can hear me.  We are unable to maintain altitude.”

Felicity was trying hard not to appreciate the way his arm muscles strained as he tried to control the plane.  This was a serious situation, she could tell by the look on his face, the stern set of his jaw.  She’d never seen him look so serious.  And yet… the benzos were making her head swim and her giggle reflex work overtime. She stifled laughter as he kept trying to contact someone, anyone on the radio. 

“I’m unable to maintain altitude.  We are forty miles south-southwest of Maketea.”

Felicity picked up the other radio and started singing into it, swaying back and forth.  Oliver snatched it from her and fixed her with a glare.  “How many of those things did you take?”

Felicity thought for a moment.  “Ya know… I jus’ don’t know.”

“Look…” he said, his voice stern, and she fought to meet his eye.  But she dissolved into giggles anyhow.  His eyes were _so_ blue it was insane.  “We’re in trouble here.  I want you to sit back, be quiet—“ He leaned over and yanked hard on her seatbelt, causing it to tighten over her hips. “—Keep your seat belt tight and let me fly this thing!”

Felicity pursed her lips and gave him a mock salute.  “Yessir!” 

Oliver licked his lips and looked out the window.  “I think I see an island down there.”  

The plane turned and dipped and turned and dipped again.  

“I can see a beach.  I’m going to set us down.”

“Okie dokie.”

The engine sputtered ominously as they continued to dip down.  Felicity could see the island, and then the beach as Oliver lined them up to land.  It all seemed like it was going to go just fine until Felicity saw something that snapped her to attention. “Rock!  There’s a rock!”

“Shit.  Hold on!”

The landing gear hit the rock and there was a sickening crunch.  The plane spun around in circles and Felicity held onto the dash, waiting for the inevitable end.  This had all sobered her up pretty damn quickly.  Another rock appeared just as they straightened out and then… 

It all went black. 

***

Ray Palmer sat at his lonely table for one and felt sorry for himself.  He had a drink in front of him, his third of the night, and he was feeling a pleasant buzzed.  But, more than that, he felt sorry for himself. 

He should have Felicity sitting next to him, perhaps her hand in his or her head leaned against his shoulder as they watched the live music and dancers.  Then, after the show, he’d take her back to their bungalow and make love to her in the middle of that enormous bed, the windows all open and letting in the island breeze. 

He glanced out of the bar area to where rain was coming down in sheets.  Or maybe not so much with the island breeze.  But even the storm would be sexy if Felicity were here with him. Instead, she was on her way to Pape’ete.  Or… he glanced at his smartwatch… maybe she was there already.  

Sighing, he finished off his drink and made a note to flag down one of the waitresses to get another the next time he saw one. 

He shouldn’t be here.  Tourists filled the bar and they were all having a good time.  Feeling as miserable as he did, he had no place among them.  He watched a couple at the table next to them who only had eyes for each other.  The man hadn’t taken his hands off the woman since they’d sat down.  From the shiny new glint of the rings on their fingers, he guessed they were on their honeymoon.  Before, that might have filled him with hope for his future and now… 

Ray felt bitter.  Bitter that Felicity wasn’t here, that she’d gotten a call from work and just run off with barely a backwards glance at him.  He’d brought them on this trip hoping to open a new chapter in their relationship.  He knew things had gotten a bit stale back at home. They both worked so much, they had so little time to spend together, just them.  He’d thought a week on a romantic island would help rekindle the spark that had once been there between them.  

Plus, of course, there had been his plan to propose to her.  It amazed him that she’d been so surprised by the proposal. She had to have seen it coming, right?  But she’d said yes and was happy and enthusiastic.  He’d really hoped that meant this trip was a success already.  

But now she was gone. 

Ray had just about decided to get up and go back to the bungalow when the music on stage changed.  The dancers that had been performing before parted to reveal a new dancer on the stage.  He recognized Sara, the girl who’d been on the plane coming in with them.  

Of course he’d noticed how gorgeous she was.  Just because he was in a relationship didn’t mean he was blind. And now… her blonde hair cascaded down her back, a ring of flowers and leaves circled her head.  A long chain of flowers hung around her neck, swinging just over her breasts which were covered with… were those coconuts?  She wore a grass skirt and undulated her hips in time to the sultry beat the band was pounding out.  

Sara caught his eye, held it.  A feral looking smile curved her lips as she danced across the stage towards where his table.  Ray watched, transfixed, as she danced right before him, seemingly for him and only him.  

God damn, she was hot. 

Ray watched her hips rotate and he could feel the heat of arousal start to burn through his veins.  He knew he should leave, that he shouldn’t be ogling Sara.  He had Felicity, he was _engaged_ to Felicity. 

But Felicity wasn’t here.  He was alone and lonely and had some excellent tequila coursing through his bloodstream at the moment.  Sara was a gorgeous woman, it was just some harmless flirting.  Nothing wrong with flirting, right?  

It’s not like Felicity would ever know. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver are stuck on a deserted island. Together. Frustrations abound and sparks fly. Meanwhile, back on Maketea, Ray gets the news.

 

The sky was once again blue, a few puffy and whispy white clouds scattering here and there, and the sun shone down on everything.  The waves crashed onto the beach as Oliver sat on a rock, picking at a palm frond in his hand.  It was quiet, save for the waves and some bird noises from further into the jungle behind him.  

It was almost more insulting that the day was so innocuously beautiful.  As though that storm last night had never happened.  Of course, if that storm had never happened, he wouldn’t be here right now, sitting next to the crumbled wreckage of his plane, wondering what the hell he was going to do now.  

Oliver had woken up about a half hour ago.  When they’d hit, Felicity had hit her head, knocking her out.  He’d checked her to make sure she was okay right away.  A cut on her forehead confirmed that it’d just been the jolt from the last run in with a rock (more like a _boulder_ ) on the beach.  She was breathing fine and it was likely that the number of benzos she’d taken had just encouraged the rest of her body to go ahead and call it a night. 

He’d gotten as comfortable as he could in his seat and followed her into sleep.  There wasn’t much he could do right then anyhow, with the rain still lashing the plane and everything outside being just about pitch black.  In the morning he would reassess their situation. 

Of course, now it was morning and he no more knew what to do than he had the night before.  There was no way he could get his plane up in the air now; the right landing gear had crumpled and the prop had some damage as well.  With the proper tools he knew he could fix it, but here on this island?  Not a chance.  

There was a sound from the plane, some shifting around and he didn’t even bother looking around.  He knew it meant Felicity was awake.  He heard the door pop open and a soft “oof” as Felicity tripped out the door and landed in the sand.  

“Good morning,” he called out to her. 

“Where’s the coffee?” she moaned in reply.  He almost cracked a smile at that.  Oliver got to his feet and turned to face her, watching as she pulled herself up off the sand and brushed at the skirt of her sundress, squinting at the bright sunlight. 

“Oh, sure, let me just step into the kitchen and get you a cup.”

Felicity peered at him.  “Wait… what happened exactly? What are we doing here?” She spun around, looking at the plane.  “Oh god, what happened??”

“We crashed.”

“Oh God, we did. I remember now.  Do you know where we are??”

“Sure.  Somewhere between Maketea and Tahiti.”

Felicity made a face.  “What happened to the plane and don’t tell me ‘we crashed’.”

“The landing gear crumpled when we hit a rock on the beach.  It’s what knocked you out.”

“Well.  Okay.  Why don’t you fix it?”

“Fix it?”

“You know, reattach it.”  She gestured with her hands.

Oliver laughed.  “Babe, what do you think I can do?  Glue it back on?” 

“Don’t call me _babe_.”  Her eyes narrowed.  “I just mean… aren’t you one of those guys?”

“What guys?”

“Those _guy_ guys.  With skills.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You know, like Bear Grylls.  Give him a pocket knife and q-tip and send him into the wilderness and he can build you a shopping mall.”  Felicity looked at him with a sharp expression.  “You can’t do that?”

“No, I can’t do that.  But hey, you’re welcome for saving your life last night.  Don’t mention it.”

She huffed but then… she looked up and smiled, her eyes lighting up.  “Oh!  I can get us out of here!”  Felicity darted over to the plane, throwing the side door back open.

“I can’t wait to see this…” Oliver murmured as he followed her.  She was rooting around in her purse.  She pulled out her cellphone and brandished it like she had found the secret to life. “Ah ha!  See? No problem.”

“Good luck getting a signal,” he told her, unable to contain his smirk.  

For the next ten minutes, Oliver watched as she tried without success to get any sort of signal.  Finally, her shoulders slumped as she tucked the phone back into her purse.  “Rats.  I knew I should have shelled out for the satellite phone instead.”

“That would have been something,” he agreed, sitting next to her on the sand when she flopped down there in defeat. 

“If I had access to some parts I’m _sure_ I could boost the signal.  You don’t suppose there’s any of those parts in your plane, do you?” she asked, hopeful. 

“I don’t want you taking apart my plane, Felicity.”

“But if it means the difference between being stuck here and getting back to civilization…”

Oliver sighed.  “What would you need?”

Felicity rattled off some things and Oliver stopped her after the third item on her list. “I might have that first one but the other two, I definitely don’t.”

Her brow furrowed.  “Hmm.  That’s a problem.”

“So… you would be able to jury rig your phone if you had the right stuff?” he asked her. 

Felicity blinked at him, her blue eyes wide.  “Of course.  I told you what I do last night.”

“Yeah, you said you were a VP for Research and Development, not that you were some sort of tech genius. I just assumed you were a suit with a desk job.”

To his surprise, she laughed at that.  “No.  In fact, being a suit with a desk job is my least favorite part of my career.  I built my first computer at age seven.  I went to MIT and graduated at 20 with a Masters in Computer Science and Cyber Security.   I like to get my hands dirty, actually, I just don’t get much chance to do it anymore.  That’s part of why this meeting that I’ve now missed was so important for me to Skype into.  We were trying to acquire another company’s proprietary tech and if we did, I would have more opportunity to work in the lab.  I’d been working on this merger for months and now…”  She made a pfft noise and let her forehead fall forward onto her knees. 

“I’m sorry,” Oliver said, feeling a bit helpless.  He was starting to see her in a new light.  He’d first seen her as a cute girl who was too uptight for her own good.  Now, he was seeing a little bit of what was underneath the exterior.  She’d probably never believe him, but he identified more with her than she’d think. 

“So, are we… shipwrecked?  That’s not right, cuz our boat didn’t sink.  But planewrecked doesn’t have the same ring to it.”

“How do you want it?” he asked her. 

“What?”

“Do you want it sugarcoated or right between the eyes?”

Felicity swallowed but kept her eyes on him.  “You pick.”

“Well, we’ve only got one wheel and the propeller is busted so we can’t take off.  Lightning blew out not just the radio but the emergency location transmitter as well.  Air-Sea will be trying to find us, but without the beacon, it’ll be like trying to find a flea on an elephant’s ass. What we do have is—” He paused and reached into his pocket for the item he’d stashed there when he first woke up that morning. “—This flare gun and a single flare.”

Now her eyes were wide.  “Is it too late to get it sugarcoated?”

“That _was_ sugarcoated.”

“That didn’t sound very sugarcoated.  You’ve been eating the wrong sort of sugar.  So, then, what’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is… we may be here for a long time.”  Oliver pointed to her and then to himself.  “You and I.  For a long, long… long, long, long, long time.”

She blinked at him, clearly trying to process it in her mind.  Then, her expression hardened.  “If that’s the case then I want my $700 back.”

“What?  That doesn’t even make any sense.”

“It makes perfect sense.  My $700.”  She held her hand out.  “I want it back.”

“You’re insane.  What are you going to do with money, stranded here on the this island.”

“Listen, Oliver, you told me you were going to take me to Tahiti.  You didn’t.”  Felicity got to her feet and Oliver tried to ignore her long toned legs leading up to the hem of her sundress as she stood in front of him, her palm outstretched.  “Give it. Back.”

Irritation rising, he got to his feet as well, standing close enough so that she had to look up to meet his eyes as he towered over her.  “Fine.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out the wad of bills she’d given him the night before.  Slowly, he counted them out as he laid them in her palm. “One… two… three….”  Then he took the fourth bill and tore it in half, laying half on top of the stack in her hand and putting the other with the rest and tucking them back into his pocket. Felicity gasped and glared at him.  Oliver smirked at her. “I figure I got you halfway.”

“Halfway?!” she cried. 

He nodded.  “Yep.  Halfway.”

“Wow.  You got me _halfway_.”  With a growl that was cuter than it should have been, she turned and stormed over to the plane.  “That is fantastic!” 

“What are you doing?” he asked sharply, watching her.  “Hey!  Get away from my plane!”

She began digging around inside, throwing supplies out the open door.  He could hear her muttering to herself. 

“Dammit, Felicity, get out of there!”

“I’m doing something!” she called back over her shoulder. 

“Leave all that stuff alone!”

“You be quiet.  I’ve heard enough of your halfways and your sugarcoatings.  It’s my turn now.”

Oliver started to worry.  He knew exactly what was in his plane and there were things they could use to make their indeterminate stay on this island a lot more pleasant.  If she messed with any of that… “Come on now, get out of there.  What do you think you’re doing?”

She lifted a yellow bundle.  “What’s this?  This is a boat.  We can use this!” 

“It’s a life raft,” he corrected her. 

“We can use this to get off the island!”

“And where are you going to go?  You don’t even know where you are!  Don’t you know anything about wilderness survival?  You never want to go wandering around when you don’t know where you are… it’s better to stay here and wait for help.”

“Says you!  I think I’d rather get out of here today.”

“Come on, be reasonable.  You don’t want to go bouncing around the ocean in an eight-foot blow-up boat.”  Oliver reached for the raft. 

“Don’t tell me what I want!”  Felicity had an almost crazed look in her eye as she jerked the bundle away from his outstretched hands. 

“Give it to me!” 

“No!  We’re going to use this!”

“Don’t pull that!  Felicit—“

A loud hissing noise filled the air as the raft unpacked itself and inflated… _inside_ the plane.  Within moments, the cabin filled with bright yellow boat and Felicity was nowhere to be seen.  Sighing, Oliver walked around the plane to the other side, getting his feet damp in the waves as he strolled.  Stubborn woman.  He knew the prospect of getting stuck here with him was probably at the very bottom of her list of things she wanted to contemplate but she was going to have to start listening to him or they weren’t going to make it here.  

He came around to the other side of the plane and found Felicity, pressed up against one of the windows, surrounded by yellow life raft. 

“Get. Me. Out of here!” she cried, her voice muffled. 

“Are you going to stop acting like a lunatic?” he asked her, a little amused to see her in this predicament.  

He couldn’t quite make out her garbled reply but he had a pretty good idea what she’d said.  Still, he couldn’t resist twisting the knife a little.  “What was that?  What’d you say?”

She struggled for a moment before her hand appeared next to her face and she flipped him off.  Oliver chuckled.  

“That’s what I thought you said.”

***

Ray sat at a table, alone still, buttering a croissant and still feeling sorry for himself.  Maybe he’d check out the scuba excursion after breakfast.  Felicity hadn’t wanted to do that particular activity, favoring snorkeling around the reef instead.  But she wasn’t here so he could do whatever he wanted.  

He expected that to make him feel better but it didn’t.  So much for not resenting her if he stayed here. 

Ray was trying to convince himself that it wasn’t resentment so much as it was missing her so much that he was fixating on the reason that she left.  He was still stewing when the hotel concierge approached his table. 

“Excuse me, Mr. Palmer, there’s a phone call for Ms. Smoak at the hotel desk.”

“Oh.”  He set down his butter knife and stood, wiping his hands on his napkin.  “I’ll take it.”

He followed the concierge to the desk where the phone waited.   He lifted the receiver. 

“Hello?  This is Ray Palmer.”

“Oh!  Mr. Palmer!  This is Gerry Conway, Felicity’s assistant.”

“Hello, Gerry.  What can I do for you?  Why are you calling here instead of Felicity’s cell?”

“I’ve been trying her cell since last night.  There’s no answer.  The Skype meeting was supposed to start ten minutes ago and there’s no sign of her.  Do you know where I can find her?”  

Ray blinked.  But she’d flown to Pape’ete for the express purpose of taking part in that meeting.  “I don’t understand.  She should have cell service in Pape’ete.  She flew there last night.”

A sick feeling started to gnaw at his stomach.  He told Gerry that he’d try to get ahold of her and have her call in to him before hanging up.  As soon as he did, he asked the concierge to call the airport in Pape’ete to check on when the plane got in last night. 

Ten minutes later, the concierge confirmed that the Verdant Air plane never landed in Pape’ete.  Another ten minutes after that, they learned that the air traffic control had lost contact with the Verdant Air plane somewhere between Maketea and Tahiti.  Ray’s sick feeling grew.  Sara came running up to the desk, her face full of concern.  

“What’s going on?  I just ran into Tony and he said that Ollie didn’t make Tahiti last night.”  She glanced at Ray and gave him a small but strained smile which he returned.  

“Hold on, Sara, we don’t know anything yet,” the concierge told her.  Then, he spoke into the phone.  “Yes.  Yes, that’s right.  Oh… Okay, yes.  Please.  Contact Air-Sea Rescue and then call me back here as soon as you can.”

“Oh God,” Sara moaned, clutching at Ray’s arm. 

He felt like his world was falling away from him.  Thirty minutes ago, he’d been feeling bitter and resentful that Felicity had left and now there was a very real chance that something terrible had happened to her.  He patted Sara’s hand but felt none of the comfort her offered her.  

An hour later, a helicopter from Air-Sea Rescue arrived to start the search.  Ray and Sara were brought to the airstrip to meet it and ride along.  Neither of them said much to each other on the ride there and Ray knew his thoughts were racing.  Sara’s most likely were too.  

Two men met them and shook their hands after they climbed out of the Jeep.

“Bonjour,” Ray greeted the pilot.  “Parlez vous—?”

“I’m American.  And he speaks English,” the man said. 

“Oh, thank goodness.” 

“My name’s Tom Morrow, nice to meet you.”  He shook Sara’s hand as well. 

“Nice to meet you Tom.  I’m Sara.”

“And I’m Ray.”

“Great.  I’ll be taking you guys up.” 

He lead them to the chopper and helped them climb in and locate their headsets before climbing into the driver’s seat. 

“Listen, Tom, how are we doing to find them?” Ray asked. 

“Well, we’re going to fly over the water and look out the window,” Tom replied. 

Was he joking?  That was it? “But… what about technology?  Black boxes and radar and satellites and that sort of stuff?”

Tom shrugged and the man in the seat next to him turned to shake his hand. 

“Hi.  I’m Ricky.”  

“Hi, Ricky.  I’m Ray and this is Sara.”

“Just, please do everything you can, okay?” she begged. 

“We will, I promise,” Ricky said. 

“Money is no object,” Ray said and Ricky exchanged a look with Tom that Ray had seen many times before.  He knew how it sounded but he also knew how the world worked.  

Sara looked a little queasy as the helicopter began to lift up.  Ray reached for her hand, squeezing it.  “Just try breathing deep,” he told her.  “I find that very helpful.”

Sara took several deep breaths and her color evened out.  “Thank you.  I’m just… I’ve never been through anything like this, you know?  I’ve known Oliver almost all my life, if something’s happened to him I don’t know what I’d do.”

“I understand.  I just got engaged to Felicity the other night.  I thought I’d be spending the rest of my life with her.”

She squeezed his hand back.  

Ricky turned in his seat and gave them an encouraging smile. “Listen, if they went into the water, it’s only been 12 hours.  It’s a good chance we’ll find them.”

“Okay,” Ray replied but he noticed Tom give Ricky an almost admonishing look which wiped the smile off the other man’s face.  That… did not look too encouraging. He tried to focus on the positive, continued to hold Sara’s hand, and watched out the window as they set out over the water.  

***

Oliver walked over to where Felicity was sitting on a dune, sulking and tossed an empty plastic jug at her.  It landed at her feet and she looked at it before looking up at him.  

“Come on,” he said, gesturing towards the jungle with the identical jug he carried in his own hand. “You want water to drink, you have to go fetch it yourself.” 

“Fine,” she muttered, still annoyed with him over the Life Raft Incident, as she’d taken to calling it in her mind.  Felicity knew she’d looked like a fool but he hadn’t had to be so smug and condescending as he’d freed her from her prison inside the plane.  

Oliver made no move to help her to her feet, just stood there and watched as she struggled to her feet.  She’d changed into the only other outfit she had with her.  She’d packed the linen shorts and tank top to wear back to Maketea after the meeting today.  She’d only had sandals packed but had found a pair of small-ish hiking boots in the back of the plane, presumably Sara’s, and put those on. She’d also taken out her contact lenses, which were beyond dried out, and put her glasses on instead.  The look was complete with her hair pulled back in a ponytail to be practical.  When Felicity had caught a glimpse of herself in the compact mirror she’d packed in her duffle bag, she looked just like she had back in college.  Back then she’d just been a nerdy IT girl that no one looked twice at. 

Felicity felt his eyes on her as she brushed the sand off her rear and she fought the need to blush.  “Lead the way,” she told him. 

“Oh, ladies first,” he replied, smiling. 

Huffing a breath, Felicity starting walking the direction he’d indicated.  They were just entering the jungle, the palm fronds overhead shielding them from the sun, when she glanced over her shoulder and caught Oliver’s eyes not on the trail, but on her ass. 

“What are you looking at?” 

“Nothing,” he said with a shrug. 

“You were looking at something.”

“No, I wasn’t.” 

“Bullshit.  You were ogling my ass.”

“Ogling?  Does anyone even use that word anymore?”

“I do.  Keep your eyes off my ass.” 

Oliver snorted.  “So you’re saying you bought _those_ shorts because you didn’t want anyone to stare at your ass?”

“Maybe I just don’t want _you_ looking at my ass, ever thought of that?” 

“It’s just as well,” he said with a sniff.  “You’re not my type.”

“Oh good.” But as Felicity kept walking, it bothered her.  Not his type?  What the hell did that mean?  And why did it bother her so much that he’d said it.  “Why?”

“Why?” he parroted. 

“Yeah, just making conversation.  Why am I not your type?”  She stopped walking and turned to face him and he stopped right before her. 

“Well, let’s see.  You’re too opinionated, you talk too much, you’re stubborn, sarcastic and you think you know everything.”  His eyes coasted down her figure again before he smirked.  “Plus your ass is too big and your tits are too small.”

Felicity’s jaw fell open and Oliver winked at her before moving past her to lead the way further into the jungle.  She hurried to catch up.  “Hey!  You want to know why you’re not my type?” 

“Nope.” 

Her jaw snapped shut and she glared at his back as he walked ahead of her.  

Insufferable man. 

She followed along after him for what seemed like hours but was more like only one hour.  He was hacking at the jungle with a machete, clearing the path for them and she could see he was getting winded.  While she was still smarting over his remarks about her (her ass was too big?  That was one of her best features!), she knew that the heat and the lack of drinking water was taxing him.  

“Why don’t you let me lead the way for a while,” she offered.  

Oliver stopped and turned to face her, an eyebrow quirked.  “Seriously?”

“Sure. I mean, chop at the branches, how hard can that be?”

Smirking, he passed the machete to her.  “This ought to be interesting.”  

Felicity took the lead and hacked at the jungle as they progressed further into the interior of the island.  It was taxing to her shoulder and arm muscles, but it felt good to be doing _something_. 

It didn’t take long before she fell into a rhythm— swish and slash, swish and slash— and the burn she felt in her muscles was a pleasant distraction from the burn of awareness she felt, knowing that once again, Oliver was ogling her “too big” ass. 

Please.  What guy even thought like that?  _No_ guy, that’s who. 

She did extra time in the gym to tone up her rear, deadlifts under the supervision of a personal trainer, lunges and squats galore.  How many times had Ray told her that she had the most amazing ass he’d ever seen?  _Many_ times, that’s what.  Chances were, Oliver thought her ass was hot too and just didn’t want to admit it. 

Felicity had just hacked through a large frond when they came upon a clearing.  The grass was about waist high but beyond it… 

“Oh, look, Oliver!” she cried, pointing.  “It’s beautiful!”

Before them, just beyond the grassy clearing, was a gorgeous waterfall and a large pool of water.  It looked like something out of a movie.  She heard Oliver come to a stop behind her and she turned to wink at him. “Looks like I found it.”

Oliver groaned.  “There’ll be no living with you now.”

Felicity grinned and hurried on ahead.  “Oh, can we take a swim, do you think?  I’m so hot from tromping through that jungle and this looks so fantastic!”

“Let’s get the water first,” he suggested.  

“Fine.  Spoilsport.”  

They each filled their jugs and then Felicity started to drink the water through her cupped palm.  It tasted amazing, like she’d never drank water that cool and sweet before.  

Oliver was still drinking out of his own palm so Felicity set her jug on a log next to the water and then made her way in.  The water licked up her calves, over her knees and to her thighs. 

“This feels amazing!” she called back to Oliver, who sat on the log next to the water jugs and watched her, an unreadable expression on his face. “You should come in.”

“Don’t wanna get my boots wet,” he called back. 

“You know, I thought you’d be more fun.” 

Oliver didn’t reply so Felicity turned her attention back to the water.  It was delightful, cool and refreshing after their long, hot hike.  She waded deeper until she was in past her hips.  And then… 

Something brushed by her leg.  

Yelping, she jumped away, trying to peer through the murky water to see what it was.  That was when she felt something slide of the leg of her shorts.  Something long, and slick and… wriggly.  Felicity froze, horror washing over. 

“Oliver?” she called out, her voice shaking. 

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt your brooding over there but… I’m having a bit of a problem here.”

He looked towards her and she could see his brow furrowing from where she stood.  “What sort of problem?”

“Some sort of creature has just swum up inside my shorts.”  She paused as it moved around a little more, trying not to make any sudden movements but unable to fight her instinctual cringe.  “I’m guessing that it’s… a snake.”

“Oh.”  He didn’t seem in any particular hurry to rush to her air.  “That’s bad.”

“Ya think?  So what do I do?”

“Uhm…”

“Should I… reach in there and try to grab it?” she asked. 

Oliver shook his head and bent over to start untying his boots.  “No, that could be risky.  It could be poisonous.”

Felicity swallowed.  Hard.  “Of course, but if it’s poisonous do I really want to let it keep swimming around my nether regions?”

“These are all good questions,” he said, setting his boots aside. 

“Can you just… tell me what to do?  I’m open to any sort of advice right now.”

He began to wade out towards her, until he stood before her and the water lapped around the tops of his thighs.  He regarded her, his eyes skating down to her lower half which was still underwater and still threatened by something long and slithery.  

“Just… stand still.  Very still.”

“Okay. Standing still.”

“Just like that… don’t move…” He reached for her slowly and she felt his fingers pull at the waistband of her shorts.  She was wearing underwear, thank God, but it wasn’t much, just a thong.  

“W—what are you doing?”

“Relax,” he instructed her, his voice soothing. 

“Right.” Felicity breathed out, trying not to think about either whatever it was that was getting up close and personal with her most sensitive parts.  Nor did she want to think too much about Oliver’s hand, dipping down past the waistband over her shorts.  His fingers skated down her abdomen, headed right for… 

“Oh, god,” she groaned, and she was only mostly sure that it was from embarrassment.

“Oh, no,” he murmured as his fingers still quite near the apex of her thighs.  

“What?” she asked, alarmed. 

“Not good.” 

Felicity fought a tremble.  “What do you mean, not good?”

“Shhh.  I’m trying to concentrate here.”

“Okay…”  But she was starting to wonder if he was enjoying himself a little.  His expression looked almost too innocent as he felt around inside her shorts. 

“Now… let’s see…”  His fingers felt around a place that no man besides Ray had touched in years.  

“I better not catch you smiling,” she warned him. 

Then, she felt it.  The creature in her shorts swam up between her thighs right at the same time Oliver’s fingers closed around it and yanked it out of her shorts. She screamed, in spite of herself as the snake (it was an actual, honest-to-god _snake_ ) sailed through the air before landing with a splash several meters away. 

“Holy frack,” she breathed, pressing a hand over her heart.  “Thank you.”

Oliver smiled at her.  “You’re welcome.  See, I’m not entirely without skills.”

Felicity had to laugh at that.  “My hero.”  She patted his arm. 

Somehow, that one small moment made her feel a million times more at ease with the whole situation.  Before she’d felt alone and scared and exposed but now she realized she had someone here with her.  She had _him_ here with her.  And while Oliver wasn’t the first man she would have chosen to get stranded with, she now felt like he could at least protect her if need be.  That did absolute wonders for her peace of mind.  


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity get to know each other a little better and Oliver has a plan to get them rescued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another note to thank you all for reading. I know this isn't my most popular work, but I appreciate everyone who is giving it a try. It passes the time while waiting for season 4 to start, right?

Oliver put the finishing touches on his camouflage.  He’d covered himself in palm fronds that had been drying on the sand which he knew looked more than a little ridiculous. Then, he picked up the branch he’d selected and whittled with his field knife until there was a sharp point on one end.  He set off down the beach from the plane to where Felicity sat, watching the waves. 

She whistled when she caught sight of him. “Whoa, nice outfit.  Going someplace fancy?” she asked with a smirk.  

“Very funny.  I’m going hunting.”

Felicity perked up at that.  He knew she was hungry because he was too.  And he cursed himself for not making sure he kept the emergency food rations in the plane stocked.  It was one of the few supplies he didn’t keep stocked, actually.  He’d been meaning to purchase some protein bars in Pape’ete but kept forgetting.  Now he was regretting it.  

“What are you hunting for?” 

He pointed down the beach where several majestic looking peacocks were gathered.  Felicity had admired them earlier, commenting on their pretty feathers.  Her face dropped when she saw what he was indicating.  

“Oh, no!  You can’t!  They’re so beautiful!” Her blue eyes filled with empathy for a creature that Oliver knew probably wouldn’t hesitate to turn the tables given the opportunity.  He shook his head. 

“And I hear they taste just like chicken.”

“Chicken?” she asked, looking intrigued despite herself.  

He nodded, grinning.  “I know you’re hungry.”

“Of course I’m hungry.  I just— I don’t think I could eat a peacock.” 

“Suit yourself,” he told her and continued past her towards the peacocks. 

He heard Felicity whine a little behind him. When he glanced around, she was headed for the plane, presumably to hide from what was to come.  He couldn’t help but chuckle. 

Felicity was actually not that bad, now that he was getting to know her.  Sure, she had her moments, but this was a very stressful situation they were in and she’d managed to (mostly) keep her cool.  He couldn’t help but admire her for it.  There weren’t many girls he’d known growing up that would have been able to handle this with half the grace that she had.  She had her sense of humor and her pride and he couldn’t help but respect that. 

As he neared the peacocks and tried to blend with the vegetation on the edge of the sand so they wouldn’t detect him, he thought back to earlier in the day.  He’d told her that she wasn’t his type.  That was true, for the most part.  Save for Sara, who was a very special and mostly platonic friend, most of the women he was attracted to were tall, leggy, slim and brunette.  Short blondes with big intellects hadn’t ever been a demographic on his radar.  

However, that didn’t mean that Felicity wasn’t entirely appealing to him.  He’d told her that her ass was too big and her tits were too small mostly to try to cover himself from staring at her ass (which he most certainly had been doing) and to try to convince _himself_.  Oliver had regretted it nearly instantly when her face had fallen at the comment about her ass.  He worried then, that he’d hit a sore spot with her.  But he didn’t dare reassure her that he found her ass fascinating.  

No, there be dragons there.  Best to avoid that territory altogether. 

Oliver pushed thoughts of Felicity out of his mind so that he could concentrate on getting them some dinner.  

It ended up being surprisingly easy. The peacocks were fairly docile and easy to catch.  He only grabbed one of them, since that is all they would need for the time being.   Felicity was conspicuously absent when he returned to the plane and he knew she didn’t want to see him prepare the peacock for dinner.  Oliver smiled as he worked.  For someone who came off as though she was hard as nails, he was somewhat pleased to discover Felicity had a very tender side.  He wondered if he would get to see that side again, perhaps directed at him.  

Then, he reminded himself that she was engaged.  She already had someone and he wasn’t looking for anything serious either.  Oliver had the impression that anything with Felicity would end up being serious.  While that would normally scare him off, he was finding it was only enticing him towards her.  

What a mess.  But, if they were on the island for the foreseeable future, perhaps her relationship status wouldn’t be so much of an issue down the road.  If they ended up being here for years or (and he hated to think this way but given the circumstances it was hard to deny) the rest of their lives, it wouldn’t matter that she’d been engaged.  They were the only two people here.  Hooking up, even if just for comfort and companionship, was inevitable in the long run. 

But Oliver knew he needed to keep these thoughts to himself.  He didn’t want Felicity to get too discouraged about their chances of getting rescued just yet.  And he didn’t want to scare her off.  

Poking around in the plane, Oliver found a sweet and sour sauce that he’d purchased in Pape’ete the last time he was there.  After setting up a makeshift spit for the peacock over the fire he’d just finished building (thank god for matches), he basted the flesh of the bird with the sauce as he turned it slowly over the fire.  

Felicity emerged from the jungle then.  Her hair was down again and she had a flower tucked behind one of her ears, displaying an industrial piercing that surprised him.  She didn’t seem the sort to have piercings or tattoos.  She carried an armful of fruit that she’d found on her trek and brought it over to the fire, sitting down next to him primly.  She’d changed again, this time back into her sundress.  

“You’re just going to eat fruit?” he asked her.  

She shrugged. “I don’t think I can bring myself to eat peacock.” Her nose wrinkled.  

“You don’t know what you’re missing.”

They both watched the flames as Oliver turned the peacock, cooking it until it had a nice, crispy skin.  He tested the thigh and found it was cooked through.  He pulled that off and took a bite, moaning around the flavor that burst into his mouth.  Yes, the sweet and sour sauce had been the way to go.  

Felicity was watching him closely.  

“You want a bite?” he offered, holding the thigh bone out towards her.  

She looked conflicted.  “I don’t know…”

“C’mon.  I know you’re hungry and that fruit isn’t going to cut it. You need protein.” 

She took the leg from him and regarded it.  “Maybe I should at least try it.  You know, just in case someone asks me someday if I’ve ever eaten peacock, I can say that I have.”

Oliver chuckled as he pulled the other thigh off and blew on it before taking a tentative bite of the still steaming meat.  “You won’t regret it,” he told her.

Felicity bit into her piece as well and he watched as her eyes widened. Then, she took another bite and groaned as she chewed and swallowed.  Her lips were glossy with the sauce and Oliver was hit with the sudden urge to kiss her.  He directed his attention back to his own thigh bone. 

“Good, huh?”

“Oh my god,” she moaned, taking another nibble.  “This is fantastic.”

“Yeah?”  He grinned. 

“You were right.  Just like chicken.”  

Oliver laughed and they continued to eat.  They shared the bottle of rum he’d pulled out of the plane as well, passing it back and forth between each other, getting the neck sticky with their fingers but not minding in the least.  Before long, their bellies were full and Oliver was working on a nice buzz from the rum. 

“Have you always been a pilot?” Felicity asked him. 

“Only really the last five years or so. I mean, I learned before then but it was just for fun. It became a profession when I moved here.”

“Yeah?  Sara said she was from Starling too, where are you from?”

“Same place,” he admitted.  “Grew up there.”

Felicity’s eyes widened as she finished taking a large gulp of rum.  She passed him back the bottle.  “Get out of here!  What a small world!”

“Did you grow up there too?”

“No, I actually grew up in Vegas.  And Ray was from the east coast, initially.  But we ended up in Starling. I think of it as my home now.”

“I haven’t been back in five years,” Oliver said. 

“Really?  Why?”

He shrugged.  “Lots of reasons.  Mostly that I just needed to get away, to start my life over.”

“What did you do back in Starling before you left?” she asked and then she blushed, ducking her head.  “I’m sorry, that’s sort of a personal question.  You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s okay.  Mostly, I wasted my parent’s money.  I was quite the disappointment to them.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Oh, believe me.  It is.  My father told me as much on several occasions.”  Oliver tried to make his tone light but some of the old bitterness snuck in.  “I was trying though. I was doing what they’d always wanted me to do, helping with the family business.  It never felt like the right fit but it was important to them, so I tried.  But…” 

Felicity watched him, her eyes somber behind her glasses.  “It wasn’t enough?”

“Not for me.  Then… well, I won’t bore you with the details but something happened that made the decision real easy for me. I left town, brought Sara with me, and didn’t look back.”

She smiled a little.  “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“It’s been great,” he agreed with a smile. “I’ve got my charter business, a nice little house on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and I’m doing what I want to do.  For the first time in my life.”

“Do you miss them?”

“Hmm?”

“Your family.  Back in Starling.”

Oliver shrugged.  “A little.”  He didn’t want to talk about it.  He didn’t want to think of how old his sister would be now and if his mother missed him and if his father regretted anything about their last exchange… 

“I miss my mom sometimes, but not as much as I probably should,” Felicity admitted and he recognized that she was moving the subject off of him and onto her.  She must have sensed that he was growing uncomfortable and he appreciated the gesture more than he could have said. 

“It’s hard to go back home after you’ve left.”

“You can say that again. I left home at sixteen to go to MIT and I couldn’t wait to leave Vegas.  That town never suited me.”

Oliver helped Felicity to her feet and they walked down to the water together so they could wash their hands.  Here, away from the light of the campfire, the stars twinkled as bright as he’d ever seen them.  He wiped his wet hands on his shorts and craned his neck back to take in the swath of the galaxy that stretched clear across the sky overhead. 

“It’s gorgeous,” Felicity said. 

“Mmhmm.”

“You don’t see a sky like that in Starling City.”

“Definitely not.”

As Felicity looked back, she lost her balance and stumbled.  She would have fallen into the water if Oliver hadn’t caught her, his hands against her waist.  “You okay there?”

She giggled.  “I guess I had more than my fair share of rum.”

He smiled down at her, making no move to release her and she made no move to step away.  Her eyes were shining in the starlight, her lips so plump and red from the sauce.  God, he wanted to kiss her. 

“Glad I could catch you.”  His voice was thick and he knew he’d had quite a bit of rum too.  Logically, he knew he’d better not make any impulsive moves while they were both feeling like this.  But the temptation was so strong and she was starting to lean into him…

“I’m glad too.”

It was the hardest thing he’d had to do in a long time to let got of her waist and step back.  “We should get some sleep.  I want to go on a hike tomorrow, see if I can find a beacon I think is on the summit of this island, if this island is the one I think it is.”

“Oh.”  Her mouth formed a little “o” and Oliver had to look away.  “Good thinking.  I’ll just… go crash in the plane,” she suggested, hooking a thumb over her shoulder. 

“Okay, I’ll be out here by the fire.” 

“I’ll bring you a blanket.” 

Oliver smiled.  “Thank you.”

He watched her walk back to the plane, her hips swaying in the dying firelight and he groaned quietly to himself, rubbing a hand over his face.  

“Smooth, Oliver.  Real smooth.”  If his old friend Tommy could see him now, he’d laugh at him.  

Then, thinking of Tommy, Oliver hardened up a bit.  He didn’t need his thoughts to go down that particular path tonight.  Anyhow, it was best not to be impulsive with Felicity.  She was engaged.  They needed to get off this island.  Those were much better things to focus on right now.  

***

The distant noise of a jet engine woke Felicity the next morning.  She was curled under a blanket on one of the seats in the plane, reclined, and she stretched, feeling her joints ache and pop.  Her head was a bit fuzzy, a byproduct from all that rum the night before.  But as she slid her glasses back on her face, she listened again.  She still heard it.  

A plane!

Adrenaline spiked as she pushed open the door of the plane and stumbled out onto the sand.  Craning her neck to look up into the sky, she saw it: a jet was flying over head, leaving a contrail behind it in the bright blue morning sky.  Her heart leapt into her throat.  She looked around for Oliver, expecting him to be awake but found him underneath the trees, next to the extinguished fire from last night.  He was stretched out on the blanket she’d brought him, snoring. 

She looked around for the flare gun so they could signal the plane, let them know they were here on this island.  There was no sign of it so she approached Oliver. 

“Oliver?  Wake up!  There’s a plane!”  

He groaned and rolled onto his side but made no move to wake up. She pushed at his shoulder but nothing happened.  She looked up, the plane was still there.  Then, she spotted the flare gun.  It was tucked into the back waistband of his shorts.  

Felicity reached for the gun and tugged on the handle.  It jostled Oliver enough so that he rolled back onto his back, causing her to lose her footing and fall onto him.   

She splayed over him, her legs tangling with his, her fingers still wrapped around the grip of the gun.  Hearing the sounds of the jet engine fading, Felicity renewed her struggle, yanking on the flare gun until it finally gave way.  She scrambled to her feet, ready to aim up at the sky over their heads when… 

Oliver rolled again, grabbing for her legs and pulling her down for a snuggle, just as she was pressing the trigger.  The flare went off, shooting the palm tree next to them.  Felicity cried out in dismay as she watched the fronds burn and smolder, the plane overhead flying on. 

“Shit!” 

Oliver groaned again and blinked his eyes, his body still pressed to hers as he pushed up on his elbows. “What—“  He rubbed his eyes and blinked up at the smoking palm tree.  A moment later, he was pushing her away from him and launching to his feet.  “What the hell did you do?  What the—“  He looked around and found the spent flare gun, laying on the blanket.  He reached down, picked it up and inspected the chamber.  Then he turned on her with furious eyes.  “You wasted our only flare?  To shoot a fucking _tree_?”

Felicity got to her feet and glared at him.  “I wouldn’t have shot the _fucking tree_ if you hadn’t pulled me down.  I was trying to signal the fucking plane!”

He blinked at her.  “What fucking plane?”

“ _THAT_ fucking plane!”  She pointed up in the sky at the jet, now far away.  

“That fucking plane?  Are you fucking kidding me?”  Oliver stumbled out onto the sand and then whirled around on her.  

“Yes!”

“Dammit, Felicity.”  She watched as he scrubbed his hands over his head, clutching behind his neck.  Then, he leveled her with a look.  “That is a commercial airliner.  They’re flying five miles up in the sky and going 600 miles an hour.  They wouldn’t see a nuclear explosion if they were looking for it, much less a flare.”

“Oh.”  Felicity felt a little small at this, thinking she should have realized that in the moment. But then she remembered… “Well, I was trying to wake you up and you could have told me that but you were too drunk. I couldn’t get you to crack so much as an eyelid!”

“Do you even know what you’ve done to us?” His color was high and his eyes were snapping.  

“What?  Tried to wake up a drunk?”

“You’ve taken our one good chance of being found and pissed it away!”

“Don’t you _dare_ blame this on me.  If you were half a pilot, we wouldn’t even be in this situation!”

Oliver was nearly trembling with indignation and she knew she’d gone a step too far, insulting his skills.  But, in for a penny, in for a pound. 

“I’m the best fucking pilot you’re ever going to meet!” he raged. 

“Ha!”  She threw back her head and laughed at the sky.  “I’ve flown with you twice and you’ve crashed half the time.  Some pilot!”

She turned and stomped away towards the plane to go change into her shorts from yesterday and freshen up a little.  Not to mention give him a chance to cool down a bit.  But Felicity couldn’t resist tossing over her shoulder before she slammed the plane door, “And there’s nothing wrong with my tits!”

***

It was the next day and yet again, Ray and Sara were up in the helicopter with Air-Sea Rescue, flying out over the water, looking for any sign of the Verdant Air plane or of Oliver and Felicity.  They’d circled a few small uninhabited islands the day before but came up completely empty handed.  

Ray hadn’t slept a wink last night.  All he could think about was how testy he’d felt when Felicity had told him she needed to fly back to Tahiti.  Why hadn’t he just gone with her?  If… the worst had happened, then they’d have gone down together.  If she was still alive out there (which he vastly preferred to consider), he’d be with her and he’d know she was safe. 

It turns out, being left behind and worrying was far worse than anything else.  This week, which was supposed to have been the most romantic week of his life, was now a nightmare. 

So, with dark circles under his eyes and a travel mug of coffee provided by the resort in his hand, he met Sara at the airstrip and they went up again.  

Sara didn’t look much better than he felt.  He knew she was worried just as much about Oliver as he was about Felicity.  “Have you and Oliver been together long?” he asked her as the helicopter lifted off.  She seemed to brighten up when talking about Oliver and Ray wanted to chase whatever had brought that dark expression onto her face away. 

“Oh, we’re not together,” she corrected him. 

Ray’s eyebrows went up.  “You’re not?  But—“

Sara grinned, her dimples popping.  “I know. I know what it looks like.  I mean, we have sex sometimes but we’re really just friends.  I’ve known Ollie most of my life, actually.  He was with— well.  That’s not important.  When he left home, I left with him.  It was a great chance to get away and now I get to do something I enjoy in a beautiful place.  And he’s a friendly face.  If something has happened to him, I— I don’t know what I’ll do.”  The smile faded from her face, the dark cloud returned once more. 

Ray grabbed her hand and squeezed it.  “Try not to think like that.  Let’s try to be positive, okay?”

She smiled again, but it didn’t reach her eyes this time.  “Okay.”  

The helicopter flew over the ocean and Ray’s eyes swam at the endless expanse of blue.  “There’s so much water,” he said, matter-of-factly but Sara seemed to understand what he was saying.  She squeezed his hand back, returning some of the comfort he’d given her.  

“Ollie is a resourceful guy,” Sara said.  “Wherever they are, I’m sure he’s taking really good care of your girlfriend.”

With that innocent statement, an image flashed into Ray’s mind.  An image of that pilot, all built and buff and muscled, kissing Felicity on a beach somewhere.  He grit his jaw.  Not the right time to even consider that.  

Instead, he turned his attention out the helicopter windows once more and continued to scan for any sign of anything remotely resembling a plane.  

***

Felicity was dressed back in the hiking boots and it was a good thing; Oliver was leading her on a fairly treacherous trail.  He explained to her, as they huffed and panted (okay, the huffing and panting was all her) their way up the side of the mountain, what they were looking for. 

“You said something about a beacon?” Felicity prompted him. 

“Yes.  The storm blew us southwest about forty minutes.  Looking at my maps, that makes me think this could be Tamitange.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

“It could be.  There’s a radio navigation beacon on top of the tallest mountain on Tamitange.  If we find it, we can shut it down.  They’ll come out and fix it, find us, and we’re rescued.”

It was a pretty good plan, Felicity had to admit.  She was impressed with how well he’d thought it out.  But there was one thing that concerned her. “It took them two years to fix the streetlight outside my apartment.”

Oliver grinned at her.  “Well let’s hope they’re more on top of radio beacons than they are streetlights.”

Two years alone on this island with Oliver.  Felicity ducked her head to hide a blush, trying to concentrate on the terrain in front of her.  She knew what would probably happen if they were here that long.  She’d been trying to ignore that particular elephant in the room since they got here, but that didn’t mean the son of a bitch didn’t still sit there, waiting for her to acknowledge it.  

“C’mon, let’s pick up the pace a little,” Oliver urged.  “I’d like to get to the top before dark.” 

Shortly after he finished his sentence, there was a low rumbling noise and Felicity felt the ground beneath her tremble.  She stopped and stood perfectly still, looking to Oliver.  He looked sharply at her and his eyes were the last thing she saw before the ground gave way beneath her feet and she fell, screaming, into what looked like a tunnel.  Down and down she tumbled, earth and rock falling with her.  She could hear shouts from Oliver and it sounded like he was falling right behind her.  

It felt like it took forever, but Felicity finally came to a stop, face down in the dirt.  Oliver landed with a thud right next to her.  

“Are you okay?” he gasped after a moment.

Groaning, she shifted and tried to take stock.  She was sore all over and dirtier than she’d ever been in her life, but… “I think so.  Nothing broken.  You?”

“I’m fine.”

They were in a small dell, shaded by vines and ferns and Oliver helped her to her feet so they could push back out into the open.  Felicity blinked her eyes at the sunlight that filtered through the trees.  

“What the heck was that??”

Oliver shrugged.  “Rainwater gully or something.  No one’s ever gone hiking around on this island before.  We’ll have to be more careful where we step.” 

“Great,” she muttered and began brushing at the dust on her arms and legs. 

“Stop.  Stop!”  Oliver barked suddenly and Felicity froze.  

“What?  Why stop?”

“Hold very still.” 

He stepped close to her and reached into her ponytail.  Felicity winced as he lifted a hand and picked _something_ out.  She glanced and barely saw a large black scorpion before he tossed it away.  

Felicity yelped. 

“That was in my _hair_?” 

Oliver shrugged.  “Gone now.”

She smirked.  “Once again, my hero.”  

If she wasn’t mistaken (and she didn’t think she was), he blushed a little before pointing back up the mountain. “Let’s get going… carefully this time.”

“We’d better find this beacon,” she grumbled. 

“Agreed.”

“I could also check it, see if there’s any parts I can use to boost my phone. I tucked it in my boot before we left camp.  Well, I put it in a plastic bag and then put it in my boot… In case it rains or we go for a swim or anything like that.” 

Oliver smirked.  “That’s good thinking.” 

They were pretty quiet from there but they made good time, sipping from a shared jug of water as they trekked upwards.  Finally, they pushed through some bushes and up a small incline into a clearing.  It looked like they’d made it, that this was the top.  

“Oh, this is beautiful,” Felicity gasped, turning around to take in the panoramic view of the ocean all around them. 

Oliver was looking around but seemed unconcerned about the ocean views.  His brow was furrowed and he reached into the backpack he’d brought with him and pulled out his folded up map.  He opened it up, studied it, and then looked around, examining the coastline.  

“So… where’s the beacon?” she asked. 

“Uh…”

Felicity moved over next to him to peer at the map.  “This one is Tamitange, right?  The one with the funny-shaped peninsula to the north?” She pointed to one of the islands on the map.

“Yes, that’s right.”

She moved to the edge of the cliff.  “And this way is north, right?”

Oliver nodded, his expression grim. 

“Hmm.  There’s no peninsula.”  She turned to face him.  “Where’s it at?” 

“Not here, apparently.” 

Felicity felt her hopes take a nose dive.  “This isn’t Tamitange?”

He met her eyes and she saw such regret there.  “No.”

“So there’s no beacon we can turn off that they’ll come fix and find us?”

Oliver shook his head.  “I think maybe we could be further to the south.  I think this might actually be Mata Nui.”

“Mata Nui? What’s on Mata Nui?” she asked, moving back over to peer at the map. 

Oliver cleared his throat and looked her in the eye.  “Us.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity's situation on the island goes from bad... to much, much worse.

Felicity studied Oliver and noticed the hard line of his jaw.  He was clenching his fists tightly and his shoulders were stiff as a board.  He was clearly close to losing it.  

“Oliver?” she said, tentative.  

He threw down the map with a growl and stormed around the clearing, kicking at logs and swearing.  It was the most overt display of temper she’d ever seen on him and it was startling, to say the least.  Felicity didn’t even know he _could_ get so mad.  Oliver was always so confident, laid-back even.  Even when he was being a total ass to her, he was still usually calm and collected.  Right now, Oliver was anything but that and it was starting to scare her.  

“Oliver!” she cried out as he hurled a giant rock over the cliff.   

He turned to face her, his chest heaving with exertion, his expression no less thunderous than it’d been a few moments before.  

“Please… don’t lose it right now,” Felicity begged him. 

“I just want _one fucking thing_ to go right,” he growled. 

Felicity hurried to his side and grabbed at his arm before he could storm away and throw another tantrum.  “Hey, I know.  I know, I’m right there with you.  Come on, Oliver. Please.”

“I can’t fix this, Felicity. I’ve never not been able to fix it before.”  His blue eyes were pained.  

“It happens, okay?  I know what I said before but none of this is your fault, okay?”  She couldn’t bear to see him blame himself, to take on all the responsibility for this onto himself.  Sure, she’d shot off about how his lack of flying skills had gotten them in to this situation but she never once actually thought that.  Now, she desperately wished she could take those words back.  

Oliver looked unconvinced. 

“I wouldn’t say that if it weren’t true,” Felicity promised him.  “I just— I need you to be strong.  Even if you don’t feel it, just… lie to me.  Okay?”

“I don’t have all the answers,” he said, his voice almost a whisper.  “I’m not strong all the time.”

“I know.  I don’t expect you to be.  But… I just can’t tell you how hard this is going to be for me if you lose it right now.  Just… please.  For me.”

His expression softened as he regarded her.  Finally, he expelled a breath, shaking his head.  “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

Felicity patted his arm, breathing a small sigh of relief.  “It’s okay, I get it.  We all have off moments.  But it’d really help me not to freak out too much if you just… told me it was going to be okay. Even if it’s a lie.”

Oliver met her eye steadily and for a moment, Felicity felt like all the air had been sucked away from around them.  Had his eyes always been that blue?  His gaze was so intense and right now, focused on her, she felt it to the tips of her toes.  He put his hands on her shoulders, steadying her.  “I promise you, whatever happens, we’ll be okay.” 

When he said it like that, she could almost believe him.  But more than that, she believed _in_ him.  She should tell him that, Felicity mused.  He probably could stand to hear it right about now.   

“Oliver, I want you to know that… I believe in you. I believe that between the two of us, we’ll find a way off this island.”  She smiled at him. 

Oliver smiled back and she saw the tension drain out of his shoulders.  “Thank you, Felicity.”

“All good now?” she asked. 

“ _Mostly_ good.”

“Great.  Let’s head back to the plane then.”

***

The sun was going down as they picked their way down the mountain, going slow because there were a few instances where there were some loose rocks and the terrain looked a bit unstable.  Felicity didn’t want to tempt another rockslide or cave in like before.  Her bruises had bruises and she ached all over.  Plus, she could really use a shower.   

Felicity had no idea what they were going to do now, with no obvious way to hasten their rescue, but she knew that right now, they needed to keep their morale up.  Both of them.  If nothing changed, then there was nothing to stop the reality of their situation from closing in, but she wasn’t ready to give up hope just yet. 

Partway down the mountain, Felicity was looking out over the water when she thought she saw something, a few miles down the coast in one of the coves.  Something white that hadn’t been there before.  Gasping, she stopped in her tracks.  

“Oliver!  Let me see your binoculars!”

“Wh—what?”  He stopped as well and she raced around to unzip his backpack.  “What are you doing?”

“I see something!” Felicity grabbed the binoculars and held them up to her eyes, looking back towards the cove she’d noticed before.  There, in the water, was a boat.  Not just any boat either.  A yacht.  It was the best damn sight she’d seen in a long time.  She crowed with triumph.  

“What is it??”

Felicity shoved the binoculars at him.  “Look!  It’s a boat!”

Oliver peered in the direction she pointed and a smile spread across his face.  “You’re right.  Looks like they’re putting into that cove.”

“How do we get their attention?” she asked as he tucked the binoculars back into his backpack and zipped it up, hefting it onto his shoulders again. 

“A flare would be nice,” he muttered but he smirked at her as he said it.  

“Oh, don’t start,” she said, smacking his arm.  “Seriously.  What do we do?”

“Well, first we need to get down this mountain, quick as we can.”

“Up, down… it’s always hiking on these island holidays,” Felicity quipped.

“Then we can get in the life raft and row towards it.  Hope they’re still around by the time we get there.”

“How long do you think that’ll take us?” she asked. 

Oliver eyed the sun’s location. “Sun’s going down soon, it’ll be dark when we reach the plane.  Morning, maybe?”

Felicity gnawed on her lip.  “We better get going then. No time to waste.” 

They set off with renewed determination.  Felicity decided having a clear goal to work towards was when they did their best work.  She just hoped to God that that yacht was still there in the morning.  That was their best shot at getting rescued off this island at this point and she wasn’t quite ready to have her hopes dashed again.  

Plus, she wasn’t entirely sure she had it in her to encourage Oliver again if he lost his faith.  Her own was hanging by a thread as it was. 

***

Just as he’d predicted, they made it to the plane just after dark.  The moon was rising in the sky when they pushed the raft into the water, along with a fresh jug of water to drink, and started rowing east, towards where they’d spotted the yacht.  

The water was blessedly calm, which made things easier. Oliver had a compass which he used to make sure they kept on course and a flashlight to view it with.  They both decided it was wise to take turns rowing while the other slept.  Right now, it was his turn and if Oliver’s eyes lingered on Felicity’s sleeping form as he rowed them, well, no one could blame him.  

She really was a pretty woman.  Even dirty from their slide down the mountain, her hair in a snarly ponytail, smudged glasses perched on her nose and not a lick of makeup.  In fact, she was probably even more beautiful now than when he’d first laid eyes on her on the tarmac in Pape’ete.  She’d been pressed and put together and a little snooty then.  Now, she was just _Felicity_.  

Her fingers curved next to her face as she slept, her entire expression peaceful and relaxed.  He smiled, in spite of himself.  She’d helped him more than she probably realized earlier, when she told him how much she needed him to not give up hope.  And that she believed in him.  Felicity probably had no clue that she had her own hope that she’d shared with him then, and her faith and her need helped him find his reserves.  

She was a surprise at every turn. 

It _had_ been wrong to lose his cool when they discovered the island wasn’t Tamitange.  It was just that they desperately needed to find a way to get back to Maketea and they were fresh out of options.  There was this urge he felt, that was growing stronger and stronger, to take care of Felicity.  He felt responsible for her and more than that, he wanted to see her happy and safe.  Oliver smiled wryly, yanking on the oars as he paddled.  She would hate that, the notion that she needed to be taken care of.  He’d already seen her independent streak and knew she was the sort that liked to be in charge of her own destiny.  

But Oliver liked that about her too.  Felicity was so unlike any woman he’d ever been interested in before.  For casual affairs, he went after buxom brunettes who couldn’t carry a conversation to save their lives.  It helped him keep things simple.  The last time he’d been in a relationship, she’d been brunette but also clever, just in a different way.  Felicity was smart and strong but also compassionate and caring.  There was such a balance to her, that she soothed him when he needed it most.  Oliver had seen a little of both sides of her, enough to entice him to want to know more.  

_Engaged, Oliver.  She’s engaged to someone else._

Fuck.  He needed to start listening to that voice in his mind and keep his thoughts off of Felicity.  And her amazing legs. 

They switched off several times in the night, each taking their turns rowing.  Oliver tried to sleep when he could, knowing he needed the energy, but he found the temptation to watch Felicity, to talk to her, was strong.  Still, he drifted in and out and eventually, when he woke for good, the sun was just clearing the horizon to the east.  He checked the cove they were headed for with the binoculars and was happy to see the yacht was still moored there.  

He took over rowing and urged Felicity to sleep a little more.  She shook her head.  

“No, I don’t need to.  I feel wired, restless.  I doubt I could sleep anyhow.”

“Okay.  Got any fruit in the pack?  We should have something to eat.” 

Felicity dug around in his backpack and found some fruit that they’d packed up when they left the plane the night before.  She passed Oliver a papaya and worked on her own piece of fruit, nibbling at the sweet, juicy flesh.  

“So what’s the situation with you and Sara anyhow?” Felicity asked.  “Just in the interest of small talk.”

Oliver smirked a little. “There’s no situation.  We’re just friends.  I’ve known her most of my life.”

“Oh?”

“I brought her with me when I came, like I told you.  We both got jobs at the resort, to begin with, and then I started my charter company.  We have a good time now and then, keep it simple.”

“Ahhh,” Felicity said knowingly, taking a bite of her fruit and he watched some of the juice dribble down her chin in a most distracting manner.  “And you like simple. I remember that.  So, has there ever been anyone complicated?”

That was putting it mildly.  “Aren’t you insightful?  Yes, actually, there has.”

“And?  How complicated was it?  On a scale from one to ten.”

“Twelve,” he grumbled.  And even then, that was probably an understatement. 

Felicity sat up straighter, putting the half eaten fruit to the side.  “That sounds interesting.  What happened, then?  That was before you came here, right?”

“Right. Well, it’s a pretty tragic story.”

Her eyes grew as large as saucers.  “Oh god, did she die?  I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—“

“No, she didn’t die.”

“Oh.”  Felicity didn’t say anymore, just waited for him to continue.  So he did.

“She fell in love with someone else,” Oliver told her with a shrug.  As if it didn’t matter.  Except it had mattered.  It’d mattered a hell of a lot.  

“Oh, God.  Oliver…”

“The thing is, it wasn’t just anybody else.  He was my best friend.  We’d just gotten into business together, opened a club there in Starling, were running it together.  It was the dream we’d both had since we were teenagers.”

“That’s terrible! I’m so sorry! Your best friend?”

Oliver nodded. 

“Can I ask what club it was?  I’ve been to a few since I’ve lived there, maybe I’ve been to it.”

“Verdant?  It’s in the Glades.”

Felicity’s eyes grew large again and she slapped at her forehead.  “Oh my god!  Of course!  Verdant Air!  And your name is Oliver!  Why didn’t I put it together before?  You’re Oliver Queen, aren’t you?”

Oliver smiled a little ruefully.  Usually, people put it together much sooner.  “Yes, I am.”

“You were gone by the time I came to town, but you were all the news… local billionaire playboy chucks it all and leaves town. Oh god, that was you!”

“That was me.”  He could only imagine the field day the press had, dragging his name through the mud after he left. 

“I don’t know why I didn’t realize it sooner. I’ve seen pictures of you in the magazines since I was a teenager.”

“I used to look a lot different,” he pointed out.  “I cut my hair when I got here.”

“And grew stubble. And got built, of course,” she said with a smirk, pointedly eyeing his muscles.  

“Okay, that too.  I like to keep myself in shape.”

Her expression sobered.  “So, you left because of your best friend and that girl, didn’t you?”

“That was part of the reason.  A big part.  I mean, I didn’t have much choice at the time but to step aside and give them my blessing.”

“But you couldn’t stick around and watch them together either,” Felicity supplied. 

“Yep.”

“Are they still together?”

Oliver shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I don’t have much contact with anyone back home.”

Felicity’s brow furrowed.  “But what about your family?”

Oliver felt a pang.  “I— Part of the reason I left was because I’d had an argument with my father.  He wanted me to take over as CEO at Queen Consolidated.  At first, I rebelled, but I was starting to give in.  I was taking on more of a role at the company but it never seemed to be enough.  We argued constantly, mostly because he didn’t approve of my extra curricular activities.”

Felicity’s eyebrows went up but she didn’t say anything.  

“I was everything the tabloids said about me back then.  Spent every weekend in the club.  Verdant gave me a great excuse to be there. Wasn’t very… discerning with my choice of women and I wasn’t discrete with what I did with them either.  Even when I was involved with my girlfriend. It brought a lot of embarrassment to the family and, by extension, the company.

“I tried to tone things down, I heard what my father was saying and was making an effort.  But by then I had such a reputation that it followed me no matter what I did… or didn’t do.  After the business with my… with her and my best friend, I had a bad moment.  I went out and got drunk, alone.  I assaulted a paparazzi outside the club and it was all over the papers.  It lead to a screaming match between my dad and I.  I decided that I was done trying and left.  Sara came with me because she had her own issues with her family and I was more than happy for the company.”

“Wow,” Felicity breathed.  

“And I should probably mention that… Sara is my ex’s little sister.” 

The look on Felicity’s face was indescribable and Oliver felt a moment’s pang.  He knew what it sounded like.  He also knew that was part of the reason he’d allowed Sara to come with him.  One last “fuck you” to that whole group of people.  But now… 

Something was missing in his life and he knew it.  Island life was great and could cover a multitude of sins, but what he’d told Felicity that night at the bar (and yes, he did remember now how he’d hit on her) was true.  On an island, if you don’t bring it with you, you won’t find it. Nothing on any island was going to fill that hole.  

“You need to talk to your family,” Felicity told him quietly. 

“I know.  It’s just… it’s been five years.  I don’t know where to start.”  

She gave him an encouraging smile.  “You pick up the phone.  Simple as that.”

Oliver huffed a laugh.  God, if only it were that simple.  He would love to hear his little sister’s voice again.  He’d love to _see_ her again, see what sort of woman she was growing up to be, learn what she was interested in.  Was she still in school?  She’d be starting college about now.  And his parents too.  Were they still married?  Their relationship hadn’t been the healthiest, Oliver had known that even at an early age.  

Shoot, even Tommy and Laurel.  Because, all else aside, they’d been some of his best friends.  Tommy had been his absolute _best_ friend, just like a brother.  They’d shared everything together and he missed him.  Oliver had missed home sometimes over the last five years.  Over the last few days, more than ever. 

***

A short while later, they were still talking when Felicity glanced over his shoulder, towards the yacht, and her brows drew together.  

“Do you see something?” he asked her. 

“Yeah, let me check the binoculars.”  She lifted them up and looked.  “Oh!  There’s another boat now!” 

“What?  Another boat?” 

“Yeah!  A big one… looks like maybe… a freighter?”

A sick feeling descended into his gut.  Oliver secured the oars and reached for the binoculars.  “Let me have a look.” 

He twisted in his seat and looked.  _Shit_.  She was right.  The other boat was a larger freighter alright, and it had pulled up alongside the yacht.  As he watched, he sew several men on the deck of the freighter as well as on the yacht.  On the yacht, one man stood to the side while several others, rough looking sorts, had a man and woman held captive, while two more men pointed guns at them.  Not good, not good at all. 

He was about to tell Felicity to sit down so they could get away when one of the men shot the man being held captive, presumably the owner of the yacht, in the head.  Oliver watched in numb horror as he slumped to the deck of the yacht and the woman who was with him started to scream.  He couldn’t hear her, but he could see her mouth open, her eyes squeezed shut, her knees giving way. 

“Shit!” he muttered aloud. 

“What is it?” Felicity asked. 

The men hauled her to her feet and dragged her towards the jury rigged plank that ran between the freighter deck and the deck of the yacht.  She was pulled on board the other boat and Oliver had a feeling he knew exactly who these people were.  They were slavers.  

Worse than pirates, these assholes preyed upon vacationers, taking women, imprisoning them, and selling them in some of the seedier ports in Asia.  He’d heard about them, of course.  You couldn’t live on an island in the South Pacific without hearing the warnings issued for tourists to be careful of dangerous situations.  A couple on a yacht cruise by themselves to a remote, secluded location?   Prime target for slime such as this. 

Right then the man who’d been standing to the side, watching the proceedings looked in their direction.  At first, Oliver thought he was just looking out over the water but then he took some binoculars from one of the men wielding the guns.  A moment later, he was looking right at him. 

“Oh, shit!”  Oliver threw the binoculars down and turned to Felicity.  “Hurry!  We have to turn this boat around.” 

“Wha—?”

“Grab an oar!”

Together, they turned the boat around and Oliver took position to row again.  As he began to paddle furiously towards the nearest beach, Felicity reached for the binoculars and looked.  “Oh my god, Oliver, who are these people?”

“Slavers!  And we just witnessed them kill a guy and take a woman onto their freighter.  We need to get out of here.”

“Oh god,” she moaned, still watching.  “Oliver, they have a speedboat.”

“Shit!”  He paddled harder, faster.  

“They have guns, Oliver.”

Oliver pulled the oars through the water so hard and so quickly, that his arms and shoulders burned.  But if he didn’t get them to shore as soon as possible, they were both dead.  Well.  He’d be dead.  Felicity would be…  

“Hurry, they’re getting closer!”

“I’m trying,” he grunted. 

Felicity looked through the binoculars again.  Suddenly, she yelped and dropped the binoculars into the raft.  “Duck!” she shrieked. 

A second later, a loud popping noise sounded and the water just in behind them sprayed up.  They were shooting at them!  Oliver grabbed Felicity and the backpack and pulled her overboard into the water, just as the bullets from their pursuers’ semi-automatic peppered the life raft, puncturing it with bullet holes.  

Oliver broke the surface at the same time as Felicity and he didn’t even have to tell her to swim for her life; she was already paddling towards the shore which was only a few dozen feet away.  He hurried after her, his arms slicing through the water, his lungs burning from the exertion.  Salt water got up his nose, in his mouth, in his eyes, but he barely registered it.  This was their _lives_.  

As soon as Oliver was able to get his feet underneath him, he stood up, grabbing for Felicity’s hand.  She stumbled a bit, a wave knocking her over but he helped her get to her feet.  He pulled the backpack onto his shoulders and they took off across the beach, looking to put as much distance as quickly as possible between them and the guys in the speedboat.  Oliver didn’t even dare look over his shoulder to see how close they were.  

“This way,” he instructed, pulling on Felicity’s hand and leading her into the jungle, towards the mountain.  They would have the cover of the vegetation and altitude seemed like something they would like to have on their side.  

The shouts of the men chasing them faded and that just made Oliver push harder.  They had a good start.  If they could find some place to hide, or where he could ambush them, they stood a good chance of getting out of this situation.  Or at least a fair chance.  

“I don’t know if I can—“ Felicity gasped from beside him. 

“You can,” he told her.  “You can do it.  Just keep running.”

“I’m slowing you down, Oliver.”

“No, Felicity—“

“If you go on ahead, you can get away.  You can hide.”

They didn’t have time to stop, or else he would do that, grab her by the arms and give her a good shake.  He would tell her that there was no way in hell he was leaving her behind.  Because he knew what fate would await her if those men got ahold of her and he couldn’t bear the thought of it.  

“Forget it, Felicity.  You can do this.  Just go as fast as you can,” he said instead.  

She didn’t reply, but he noticed her put on a burst of speed and was grateful for it. 

In the distance behind them, Oliver could hear the men crashing through the underbrush, shouting at one another.  He needed a plan and he needed it quick.  For both their sakes. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a lot more complicated on the island (and that's not even mentioning the murderous slavers) and Ray is starting to give up hope of ever seeing Felicity alive again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder, this is a movie AU and I state in the story description that it's a Six Days Seven Nights AU. If you haven't seen it, maybe give it a shot when you finish reading this. I like to think I improved on it (and I really enjoy the movie so...)

Felicity could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she struggled to keep up with Oliver’s long strides.  She could see, thankfully, as she’d barely managed to keep her glasses when they’d pitched off the raft and into the ocean. Vegetation lashed at their arms and faces and legs as they hurried up the side of the mountain.  But she could also hear the men with the guns getting closer behind them and knew they needed to keep up the pace.  

She also knew she was slowing Oliver down, but the way he’d refused to leave her behind and save himself had made her heart flutter in a completely different way.  Maybe if she lived to see herself out of this mess, she’d think about the implications of that.  

Suddenly, Oliver came to a halt and since he had a hold of her hand, he jerked her to a stop as well.  He gestured behind a tree, clearly wanting her to go hide behind it and he ducked behind another tree, picking up a fallen branch from the ground.  Felicity understood that he meant to ambush their pursuers and quickly obliged, hiding herself and holding her breath.  This was a gamble, but she knew that it was their only hope right now. 

Felicity held her breath as the noises of the men chasing them grew nearer.  They weren’t making any effort to be quiet, and she didn’t know if that was foolhardy or confident.  She watched where she knew Oliver hid, tree branch in hand, and hoped against all hope that he’d succeed, that he wouldn’t get hurt.  If something happened to him… 

As soon as the men came into view, she crouched back further into the thicket she was hiding in.  Oliver waited until they were just past his spot before lunging out and slamming one of the men, the one holding the AK-47, on the back of the head.  The man went sprawling while the other two whirled around to see what had happened to their comrade.  

For the fight being two against one, Oliver did amazing at holding his own.  He proved that his muscles weren’t just for show and that he had true strength as well as fighting skills.  At one point, however, one of the men got around behind him and pulled a sidearm from his waistband, aiming it at Oliver’s head.  Felicity leapt from her concealed spot, grabbed the branch that Oliver had discarded and thwacked the man on the back of the head.  He stumbled, not quite going down, but it gave Oliver a chance to turn and disarm the man.  

Oliver almost had everyone down, knocked out, and Felicity was starting to feel like they just might get out of this mess.  But then, she felt the cold press of metal to the side of her head.  She froze, her breath leaving her in one giant gust. 

“Hello, miss,” a surprisingly cultured voice said.  She turned as slowly as she dared and saw a tall man with sandy hair and an almost kind face pointing a gun at her head. 

“Oliver,” she said and it came out as a strangled sound.  Oliver turned, the last man caught in a headlock, and his expression shifted as he saw the situation she was in. 

“My name is Ivo. Anthony Ivo,” he introduced, still calm and still holding the gun barrel to her temple.  Felicity fought the urge to whimper.  “You two have certainly thrown a wrench into my day.”

“Let her go,” Oliver growled.  “Let her go or I’ll snap this man’s neck.”

Ivo shrugged.  “Go ahead, snap it.  I have a dozen other men on my boat and—“ He tapped at the walkie talkie clipped to his belt— “I can call them up here at any time.  I will have no problem outnumbering you, but I’d rather this lovely specimen not be damaged in the process.”

He was talking about _her_ , Felicity realized.   She recalled what Oliver had told her, about these guys being slavers.  She hadn’t put much thought into it before, but now, with reality pressing a literal gun to her head, she understood fully what could happen here. 

And, frankly, what was looking _likely_ here.  

Oliver’s eyes went to her and she could see the tortured expression there.  He knew too.   She could see it there, reflected plainly in the crease between his eyebrows.  Oliver threw down the man he’d been choking and he lay in the dirt, gasping for air. 

“Now, if you both come quietly, no one will get hurt.  Or at least, this lovely lady won’t get hurt,” Ivo told them with a leering smile.  Felicity no longer thought he looked kind.  

Felicity noticed Oliver’s hand twitch, wanting to grab at the pistol he’d acquired off one of the goons.  She shook her head at him.  If he made a move like that, Ivo would likely shoot Oliver without a moment’s hesitation and then drag her back to his boat anyway.  

If it was going to come down to that, she’d far rather Oliver be alive.  

Still, he hesitated and Ivo turned the gun onto Oliver making Felicity cry out.  “No!  Don’t shoot him!”

“Get moving,  now, before I get trigger happy.”

Oliver’s jaw was clenched hard and he kept his eyes on Felicity as he finally moved, headed back the way they’d come.  Ivo returned the gun to Felicity’s head and marched her ahead of him.  She could feel the man’s breath on her neck and it made her want to retch.  

How on earth had things gone from bad, to awful, to even _worse_ so quickly?  Would they ever catch a break? 

***

Oliver walked steadily down the mountain, scenarios running quickly through his head as he tried to think of a way to get themselves out of this mess.  As usual, their options were running out and nothing sounded like a perfect plan in his mind.  However, getting taken aboard Ivo’s boat didn’t sound like a great idea either.  

A few minutes into their trek, Felicity complained about being winded and asked to stop to catch her breath and to get a drink of water.  Ivo had a canteen which he passed to her and they all stopped and waited.  Oliver recognized that she was stalling for time.  While she was drinking, the men he’d subdued up the mountain caught up with them, having finally roused.  They glared at him as Ivo filled them in quietly on the plan to bring them both to the boat. 

“Why not just kill the man now?” one of the men asked, not caring if Oliver overheard. 

“Because, Jimmy, I have a plan,” Ivo explained, patiently.  “And I’d thank you not to question it.”

“Excuse me,” Felicity began, her voice meek.  Oliver had never before heard her use that tone and he realized that she was making a show.  “Can you maybe let me walk down myself?  Having a gun at my head is really making me nervous and I really don’t want to trip and fall.”

Ivo looked at her and Oliver just knew he was about to deny the request but then he looked around at the other men and shrugged.  

“Fine. Ron, you pull up the rear.  Take the AK-47 and keep it on them while we walk.”

So when they started walking ahead, Oliver was able to walk next to Felicity while Ron, the man Oliver had initially knocked out up the mountain, walked behind them.  Jimmy, the other man and Ivo all walked ahead of them, but kept a close eye.  

Oliver watched the terrain, looking for the best opportunity.  He knew now what he wanted to do, he just needed the perfect moment to do it.  

About five minutes later, the opening presented itself.  Ron was still behind them but not paying them very close attention.  He seemed more interested in listening in on what the other men were saying.  And those men were more absorbed in their discussion about where they were taking their “shipment” after leaving here.  Oliver spied a gully, not unlike the one that he and Felicity had tumbled down the day before.  

Before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed her around the waist and threw the both of them over the edge of what amounted to a steep ravine.  Felicity shrieked in surprise as they tumbled through the heavy underbrush. Oliver tried to control his fall as best he could and he could hear the shouts of the men above them growing fainter as they fell further down the mountain.  As soon as he was able to steady himself, Oliver grabbed for Felicity and steadied her as well.  

Then, they were off running. 

While it had felt like they’d fallen forever, it had only been about a hundred feet or so and he could already hear their captors chasing after them.  He pulled Felicity along until they burst out into a small clearing.  

It ended up being a clearing that overlooked the ocean from about fifty feet up.  He ran to the edge of the small cliff and looked over; it was a steep drop into the ocean below.  There was no other way to go but back the way they came.  And the shouts of Ivo and his men sounded through those trees and bushes.  There was no going back.  

“Felicity,” he gasped, grabbing her by the arms.  

“Oliver, what are we going to do?” Her ponytail was wrecked, her face was smudged with dirt and she looked to him with such faith that it made him actually want to be the man she thought he could be.  For the first time in five years, he wanted to be responsible.  For the first time in all his life maybe, he thought he could actually _be_ that man.

Well, the first step in being responsible was making the tough choices. 

He pulled her to the cliff’s edge and watched as she peeked over.  Then, she screwed her eyes shut and turned her head.  “Oh god, that’s high up.”

“We go on three,” he told her, his voice as calm as he could manage. 

Felicity’s stormy grey-blue eyes got huge behind her glasses.  He reached up and slipped them off, handing them to her so she could tuck them into her shorts pocket.  “Oh.”  

“One…. Two….”

“Oliver!  I can’t!”  She grabbed his arms.  “I can’t jump.  I’m terrified of heights.”

“You can do this,” he assured her.  He took the glasses back and pushed them into his pocket instead. 

Felicity was shaking her head. “No, I can’t.  You go.  Save yourself.”

 Like hell that was going to happen.  The sounds of Ivo and his men grew closer and he knew this time, he’d be shot.  They were out of chances.  It was now or never.  “I’m sorry,” he told Felicity earnestly. 

She looked confused for half a second before he yanked her to him and pressed his lips to hers.  Felicity froze for a moment before relaxing, ever so slightly, into him. Oliver was finally kissing her and it might be his last and only chance to ever do so.  Damn shame too, because her lips were soft underneath his as she kissed him back, her fingers working up towards his shoulders as she tightened her grip on him.  She tasted and felt like heaven and Oliver knew, he _knew_ in this moment… he was falling for her.  And probably had been since they’d gotten stuck on this godforsaken rock. 

He released her and noted her dazed but flushed appearance.  “You’re sorry for kissing me?” she mumbled confusedly.

“No.  For this.”  And with an enormous shove, he pushed Felicity off the edge of the cliff, giving her momentum so that she’d fall as far away from the cliff face as possible.  Then, immediately after, he launched himself after her.  She screamed bloody murder the whole way down and disappeared into the water an instant before he did.  

Oliver opened his eyes, searching the frothing water for Felicity and found her a couple feet away, thrashing for the surface.  He swam to her and grabbed her hand.  She looked to him immediately and he tried to communicate with his eyes and hands… they needed to stay down under the surface and swim somewhere safer.  She nodded and so he, continuing to hold her hand, pulled her along.  

Before they’d jumped, he’d seen an outcropping of rocks to the west where a few palm trees hung out over the water.  That would provide them with adequate coverage in case Ivo and his men were looking for them from the top of the cliff. 

They broke the surface at the same time and Felicity gasped for breath.  Oliver did what he could to help keep her above water as he paddled towards the shore.  There was a small cove there with a sandy beach and as soon as they crawled up on it, they each collapsed.     

Felicity lay on her back, her chest heaving, her breath shuddering.  Oliver lifted his head and realized just how lucky they were to both be alive right then.  They weren’t out of the woods, not by any stretch of the imagination, but they’d gotten away for now, against all odds. Felicity was alive and so was he and that kiss, on top of the cliff, had been _amazing_. 

It was thoughts of that kiss that drew him to her.  Getting up on his hands and knees, Oliver crawled to her. He hovered over her, checking for any obvious injuries. Felicity focused on him and lifted a hand to cup his cheek.  Her palm felt soft against his rough stubble and he leaned into her touch unconsciously.  Her lips were parted, droplets of water running down the sides of her face, down her neck, into her clavicle… 

With a groan of surrender, Oliver leaned down and slanted his mouth over hers.  Unlike before when he hadn’t had a chance, he wasted no time in tasting her and she let him.  Her tongue stroked his as he delved into the warmth of her mouth.  His blood pulsed with instant arousal.  Oliver banded an arm around her waist and Felicity arched her back to accommodate him, bringing her chest into fuller contact with his.  Her tank top was just as soaked as his t-shirt was and he could feel her pebbled nipples through both layers.  She moaned into his mouth, her fist grabbing at his cropped hair and Oliver felt nearly overwhelmed with how badly he wanted her.  

He lifted his head with great effort and nearly groaned at the sight of Felicity’s darkened, half-lidded eyes and swollen lips.  She was petting at his jawline with her hand and he turned his head a little and saw… 

Her engagement ring glinted from her third finger, a most unpleasant reminder that Felicity _wasn’t_ his girlfriend.  Oliver had no right to be ravishing her like this, to be wanting to take her, right here in the sand.  She had a _fiancé_.  A man who was probably, right now, out of his mind with worry about her. 

Felicity seemed to realize all of this at the same time and she dropped her head back onto the wet sand with a sigh.  

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to him. 

“I’m the one who should be sorry,” he said.  

“No,” she replied, her voice full of regret, “you aren’t.” 

He didn’t have time right then to wonder what she meant by that.  Ivo was surely still looking for them and they needed to find some place to hide for the night.  The sun was already descending in the east and he wanted to find them a secure place to rest for the night.  Surely, tomorrow, Ivo would have his men all over this island, looking for them.  They both needed to be rested, ready to face whatever came. 

Oliver got to his feet and helped Felicity get to hers.  He continued to hold her hand as they made their way into the jungle together, only dropping it when he had to on account of the narrow path through the bushes. They each still had their boots, which was a godsend as they hurried over the rough terrain.  They were going to be hampered significantly by the loss of the backpack and their water jug.  All the more reason to find a safe place to make camp before it got dark.  

“Do you think they gave up?” she asked him at one point.  They’d been silent since the kiss; not an uncomfortable silence, but a companionable one.  But he was glad for the break in the tension that was building, and the small sign from her that she wasn’t too upset by everything that had happened. If she had been, he doubted she’d be speaking at all. 

“I honestly don’t know,” Oliver answered, wishing he had more to give her.  “I don’t want to take the chance that they haven’t.”

“Me either.”

“We shouldn’t go back to the plane.  It’s too easy to spot, out there on the beach.”

Felicity nodded and he noticed her biting her lip.  He stopped and cupped her shoulder, feeling the warmth of her skin underneath his palm.  

“Are you okay?”

She nodded but her eyes looked a little glassy.  “I’m so scared,” she whispered. 

Oliver fought the urge to hug her tightly, to try to ward off that fear and replace it with only good feelings.  “If it makes you feel any better, I’m a little scared myself.”

Felicity huffed a little laugh.  She still had her humor.  Good.  “No, that does not make me feel any better,” she said, her voice wry. 

“Why not? I thought that’s what women wanted.” 

“What’s that?”

“A guy who’s not afraid to cry, who’s in touch with his feelings and his feminine side.”  It felt good to banter with her again.  Damn good. 

“No, not when they’re being chased by slavers,” she told him but he could already tell that her fear was receding.  “Then they like them mean and armed.”

Oliver chuckled.  At least she was honest. 

After they walked a little ways, Oliver noticed that Felicity was looking at him a certain way.  He smiled.  “What?”

She shrugged, smiling too.  “Nothing.  Was just thinking about what you told me before, about the woman who ended up with your best friend.”

“Ahhh, yes.  Her.”  Oliver was surprised when he didn’t have the old familiar pang when Laurel was mentioned.  “We were engaged, actually.”

Felicity’s mouth popped open.  “Seriously?  Oh, wow.  Oliver, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.  Our wedding was going to be in six months. I mean, I guess it’s a good thing this happened before we were married.  Before we had kids.” 

“Small mercies,” she agreed.  “Do you still want that someday?  Marriage and kids?” 

Oliver considered that.  Did he?  He’d spent so much time purposefully not thinking about it but now… he let himself picture it, a sunny morning with a little girl perched on his lap, sharing his bowl of cereal with him.  She had springy blonde curls and wore little glasses on her pert nose.  He swallowed thickly. 

“Yeah, I do,” he admitted hoarsely.  “What about you?”

Felicity nodded and shrugged.  “Yeah.  I mean, definitely marriage. But a family would be nice too, someday.” 

Oliver wanted to ask her if Ray wanted kids but he couldn’t get the words past his throat.  He didn’t want to bring up Ray into this conversation.  

Deeper in the jungle, they found a cave opening near a spring.  There was good tree cover, good to hide them.  The cave would give them shelter in case it started to rain.  They had no blankets or anything but Oliver was pretty good at starting a fire in wilderness conditions so they should be able to stay warm.  The slavers didn’t have a plane, that he knew of at least, but it didn’t hurt to be hidden from overhead, just in case. 

“Does this suit you?” he asked her as they checked out the site. 

Felicity nodded.  “I mean, it’s not the Ritz, but it’ll do.”

Once again, Oliver found himself immeasurably grateful that Felicity was meeting the challenges with dignity and strength.  He’d known many women that would have fallen to pieces over half of the things they’d gone through and Felicity had done the opposite.  If anything, she grew stronger as matters devolved.  He never would have predicted that from the day he met her.  Not in a million years. 

***

Ray sat at the bar, nursing a drink.  Sara sat next to him, doing the same.  The searching hadn’t gone well and that day; not only had they found no signs, but the pilots had seemed especially discouraged.  They’d widened their search area, looking further than they had so far, but there was a gut-sinking lack of any sign of the plane, of Oliver or of Felicity.  Ray was beginning to lose hope.  

He couldn’t help but think that If Felicity were still alive, they would have found her by now. 

“You know how some people say you don’t know what you had until you lose it?” Ray mumbled. 

“I’ve heard it before,” Sara said before taking a long drink. 

“It’s a bunch of lies.  I knew what I had.  I knew exactly what I had.  I loved her.”  Ray paused and winced as he heard the past tense in what he’d just said.  “Damn. I _love_ her.  Still love her.”

Sara just snorted.  “I don’t mean to insult you but, I don’t think men know what love truly is.”

“I do,” Ray insisted.  He’d been the Van Gough of romance, dammit.  Felicity had always been impressed with his large gestures, the flowers, the wine, the fancy dinners, the jewelry… 

“Yeah?” Sara sounded unconvinced. 

“Yeah, I do.”

“Well, in my experience, guys tell me they love me all the time.  Like it’s nothing.” 

Ray peered at her.  With her pretty blonde hair, her aqua eyes and dimpled smile… not to mention her incredible body… it wasn’t hard to believe.  But he’d also learned the last few days that she was a genuinely nice person.  “I’m sure many of them meant it,” he told her. 

Sara snorted.  “Thanks, but no, they don’t.  They just want to get in my pants.”

Ray nearly spit out the mouthful of drink he’d just sipped.  “Well, maybe there’s that too.  But Sara, don’t sell yourself short.  You’re beautiful and you’re fun and you’re giving.  What’s not to love?”

She shrugged a shoulder.  “I’m not the sort of girl guys want to settle down with.  And, you know, that’s fine.  I’m young, I like my freedom.”

“You sound like me, five years ago,” Ray mused. 

“Oh yeah?  When did you and Felicity meet?” 

“Three years ago.  It was three years from the night I proposed to her, actually.”

“Oh, wow.  So before her you were…?”

“I was pretty bitter about romantic relationships.  Since I own my own company and have more money than I know what to do with, I had a lot of women interested in me.  Or rather, interested in my money.  That was the problem.  All those relationships were so superficial.”

“And Felicity was different?”

“Felicity was the _definition_ of different.  At first, I could barely get her to agree to go out with me.  She kept saying that it wouldn’t be right, us working together and all.  She didn’t want to be known as the girl who was dating the boss.”

Sara made a face.  “I can’t blame her for that.”

“Eventually, she said yes.  And we’ve been together ever since.”  Ray swallowed thickly.  “I’m not sure what I’ll do without her, actually.”

Sara’s hand covered his own.  “You’ll be fine.  I know you will.  You’re a brilliant man with a lot of love in his heart.”

He sighed.  “And what about you? I mean, I know you said you and Oliver weren’t _together_ , but…”

“I don’t like to think about it, actually.  Because I’d have to call his family and I can’t bear to bring them that news.  I can’t bear the thought that I’ll never have him to joke around with again.  He really was a great friend to me.”

“We have another search in the morning,” Ray reminded her.  “We’re not giving up just yet.”

“Yeah, I know.”  But her chin trembled a bit as she finished off her drink.  Ray did the same with his and signaled the bartender to bring them another.  It looked like they were going to need to get good and wasted tonight.  

Several hours later, Ray definitely felt sufficiently wasted. Sara was laughing over something that he couldn’t quite remember what it was.  She hung off his arm to keep from falling over and her face was red with laughter.  Ray was laughing too, simply because it felt so _good_ to laugh.  

He was walking her back to her bungalow, he knew that much.  And she kept telling him where to go and he worried that she was too drunk to know but he was definitely too drunk to care.  

“Oop!  This is me,” Sara cried out, stumbling to a stop. 

Ray nearly crashed into her.  He peered at the bungalow that looked just like all the other staff bungalows they’d just passed.  “How can you _tell_?”

She giggled and pulled him up the steps to the door.  “Because I live here, silly.”

Ray followed her inside, glancing around the small room.  It was basically like a studio apartment, with a small kitchenette and a bed, with a bathroom in the rear.  It was littered with her clothes and other personal items and Ray tried not to snoop too much as Sara turned on the lamp next to her bed and walked into the bathroom. 

“We’re meeting the helicopter at 6am tomorrow, right?” she called out to him. 

“Yeah but… I may be too drunk to wake up at 6am,” he called back. 

Sara emerged then and she was shimmying out of her dress.  Right there in front of him.  Ray stood frozen, transfixed, while her dress slipped over her curves and pooled at her feet.  

As she straightened, wearing just a matching bra and panties set, she cocked her head at him. “Are you okay?  You look— a little upset.”

“I—I’m not upset.  No… not upset.  Uh…”

Sara smiled at him.  “I’m going to take a shower and get into bed,” she announced and Ray was nodding his head. 

“Yeah, I should go do the saaaa—“ He trailed off as Sara turned back to the bathroom and he got a good view of her ass.  Yep, that was thong underwear.  Oh, holy shit.  He heard the shower turn on.  

“What was that?” 

“Mm?  Nothing!  I should actually go.”  He began to back towards the door and stopped when Sara reappeared back in the room. 

“Do you want to stay here?  With me?” she asked him, and the look she gave him was pure innocence.  Innocent was _not_ what he was feeling.  

“Stay?”  He was having a hard time forming words and he knew that the alcohol was only part of the reason. 

“Yes.  Here, with me.”  She regarded him, amused.  “Sex, Ray.”

He felt like his face was on fire.  “Oh.  Wow…” _Say no, say no, say no…_

“You probably think I’m being a slut or something but… I’m feeling pretty bad tonight.  Even after all that alcohol.  I feel lonely and I know you do too.  I just thought that maybe, you and I could help each other out.  I’d like you to stay.”

Oh, god, he was tempted.  “I just— I’m still clinging to hope,” he explained.  “And if I slept with you, and then we found them, I would feel…”

Ray trailed off as Sara reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, right there in front of him.  She tossed the scrap of black lace aside and he was gifted with a full view of Sara’s breasts.  

All the blood in his body ran south just as all the air was immediately sucked from the room.  

“Are you sure?” she asked him, still sounding so innocent.  Damn, it was turning him on. 

“I’m sure,” he replied, not feeling remotely sure at all. 

Her lower lip poked out in a pout and Ray had to turn away.  He headed towards the door before he lost all his nerve and went to her like a dog in heat.  

“I’m leaving,” he announced over his shoulder, not daring to look at her again. “I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“See you soon, Ray,” Sara called back. 

As Ray stumbled down the path towards the guests bungalows, he realized Sara made it sound like she expected to see him a lot sooner than 6am tomorrow morning. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity have a moment to breathe before things get ugly. Ray and Sara have a moment too...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is reading this, extra thanks to people who are also leaving kudos/comments. It means a lot to me. I expect the last chapter to be posted on Tuesday morning.

Felicity was amazed at how quickly Oliver was able to get a fire going.  The movies all lead her to believe that making fire without matches or any sort of fire-starter was incredibly difficult, but he seemed to know exactly what to do.  Watching him fulfill this basic human need for the both of them soothed something in her that had been run ragged all day long.  They weren’t safe but she felt _safer_.  

She washed up a bit in the spring and tried to smooth her ponytail as best she could.  She’d retrieved her glasses from Oliver’s shorts pocket and she cleaned those too. Her clothes were a wreck, torn and filthy, but there wasn’t much she could do about that now. 

After washing, she scavenged the trees nearby, looking for fruit.  No more papaya on this side of the island, but she did find some breadfruit.  Or at least that’s what Oliver told her it was when she showed him the strange green prickly item.  

They were settled around the warm glow of the fire, eating it and Felicity kept reminding herself that it was good for keeping her energy up.  Even if it did taste entirely questionable. 

“Breadfruit,” she mused as she swallowed a bite. Oliver had roasted it a bit over the fire, which he explained would make it more tolerable.

“It’s not bread,” Oliver said. 

“And it doesn’t taste anything like fruit.”

They each chuckled.  After her next bite, she looked over to Oliver and found he was watching her closely.  There was a warmth in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before today.  His gaze drifted down to her lips and he licked his own.  

“I want to kiss you,” he admitted.  “I really liked kissing you.”

Felicity fought a shiver. “I liked kissing you, too.”  And she had.  That kiss on the beach had probably been the best kiss she’d ever had in her life.  His lips were little little pillow mountains while the rest of his stubble had been prickly but in a very good way.  Even now, she could feel the slight burn around her mouth and it made her wonder what that burn might feel like on other parts of her body.    

There was more, so much more, but she was afraid to say it out loud, especially with the intense way he was watching her. Finally, his eyes dropped from hers, to skate over her shoulder, down her body… 

“But…?” he prompted her. 

“But if I start, I’m not going to want to stop,” Felicity told him and his eyes were on hers again.  This time, they were dark and filled with carnal promise.  Felicity wanted so badly to lean forward, to kiss him, to find out exactly what he was promising.  She could not get that kiss from earlier out of her mind and she felt like she was wound tighter than a spring, needing to see what else he could do with that mouth… 

“Sounds good,” he murmured and now her eyes were fixed on his lips.  Had they always looked so sensuous?  Why hadn’t she seen this wild attraction to him coming?  Why hadn’t she known, that first day in Pape’ete, that she would be drawn to him like a moth to a flame? 

“Doesn’t it?”  For one brief second, she let herself indulge in the fantasy of the two of them, twined together in a tangle of limbs.  Felicity could picture it so clearly, it was though she was remembering a memory instead of imagining something that hadn’t happened… _couldn’t_ happen.  Another shiver ran through her.  They would be _incendiary_ together. But then, she sighed.  “But… I can’t.”

Oliver didn’t look surprised.  He just nodded, as though he was expecting her to say that. “I know.”

There was quiet for another moment as they both stared into the fire.  Given that she wasn’t sure she’d ever even see Ray again, putting off indulging with Oliver was probably pointless.  But it hadn’t even been a week yet.  And she hadn’t quite given up hope on getting out of here.  And she owed Ray more than that.  

“We should get some sleep,” Oliver said after they’d finished with their paltry meal.  

“Mmhmm.”  She was already feeling drowsy, the adrenaline from the day that had been pulsing through her bloodstream finally crashing.  

“Come here.”  He opened his arms and Felicity couldn’t think of any earthly reason to reject the offer.  It was just a cuddle, to keep warm and feel safe.  Nothing more. 

She settled into his arms, sighing as they wrapped around her, pulling her against his side.  Felicity rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady pounding of his heard beneath his shirt.  

“This feels good,” she told him sleepily, “and safe.”

Oliver hummed his agreement and they both drifted off to the sound of the wood in their campfire crackling.  

***

As they both tried to sleep, Oliver couldn’t get over how right it felt to have Felicity in his arms like this.  Even though she’d just gotten finished telling him that she couldn’t act on the attraction between them, not yet at least, he couldn’t help but enjoy the closeness.  She fit against him, her head on his chest, her breath warm there and her hair tickling the underside of his jaw.  He felt her breathing even out, felt her body relax into his as she drifted off.  

He was about to join her, tantalizing thoughts about that kiss they’d shared on the beach still lingering in his mind.  Oliver knew he was just torturing himself with those thoughts.  If they did find a way off this island, there was no future for the two of them together.  Ray was the superior man in this scenario; Oliver had absolutely _nothing_ to offer her.  She’d told him a bit about her fiancé since they’d been stuck here together, about how he owned a multinational tech company and was a billionaire.  It might have sounded like bragging off any other woman, but from Felicity, she just stated it as a fact.  And a basis for how she’d met him in the first place. 

The irony of that whole situation wasn’t lost on Oliver.  He fully realized how easily he could have been in Ray’s shoes had he not left Starling five years ago.  He could have ascended to his rightful place as CEO of Queen Consolidated.  When Felicity began her job search in Starling, QC could have courted her.  Any IT or R&D department worth their salt would want to have her on their payroll, of course, and Oliver liked to think he would have recognized that if she’d interviewed with them.  Then he could have been the one to meet her.  He could have dated her, romanced her… brought her to Maketea and proposed… 

The bitterness of that realization sat in his throat and he tried to push those thoughts away.  It didn’t matter now.  Right now, they needed to focus on evading Ivo and his crew.  Staying alive was priority number one.  Then, getting off the island was priority number two.  Sadly, his desire for Felicity fell pretty far down the list of priorities.  

It was yet another reason they weren’t a good idea, together.  And thank goodness Felicity was a practical enough woman to realize that. 

Oliver finally succumbed to sleep, knowing he needed the rest.  

It felt like he’d only been asleep a few minutes when Oliver heard a loud snap, like someone had just stepped on a branch.  His eyes snapped open and his arms tightened around Felicity.  She hadn’t so much as stirred.  He looked around the site, hoping it was just a wild animal. 

But then, dashing all those hopes, a few figures stepped out of the jungle and into the small clearing.  Ivo.  And a few of his burly friends, who were all carrying guns. 

“Hello,” Ivo said, calmly, a creepy smile on his face.  “We got interrupted earlier and you ran off before I could give you the full benefit of our hospitality.”

Oliver glared at the men as he nudged Felicity.  “Felicity?  Wake up… we’ve got company.”

“Hmm?”  She stretched and blinked her eyes open and then yelped when she saw Ivo and his men. 

“It’s lucky that you guys built this fire,” Ivo said. “Otherwise, we may never have been able to find you. We were about to give up… move on.  Jimmy here saw your smoke through the binoculars, so I decided to come over and say hi.”

_Shit_.  Oliver had been afraid of that.  But without the fire to warm them, especially after their dip in the ocean, they would have certainly gotten hypothermia.  He’d made a choice and it looked like that choice was going to bite him in the ass in a huge way. 

Oliver didn’t bother asking what Ivo wanted; he knew damn well what the sick bastard wanted.  Ivo wanted to add Felicity to his collection. As for what would happen to _him_ … Well, they were going to have to kill him.  Because there was no other way Oliver would ever let them leave this island with Felicity. 

“Nothing to say?” Ivo asked, making himself look put out.  “That’s a shame. I was so looking forward to some stimulating conversation.”

He gestured to one of the guys who stepped forward to grab Felicity.  She made a noise and moved to hide behind him.  Oliver wanted to protect her, wanted to fight all of these men off, but they had guns.  He had _nothing_.  

Instead, he fixed a glare on Ivo. “I won’t let you take her.”

The goons grabbed Felicity roughly and pulled her away from him.  They held her between them.  Oliver got to his feet, his fists clenching at his sides.  

“You don’t have any choice.  And neither does she.”

Oliver lunged towards the men holding Felicity but the third man stepped forward, pointing the gun at his head.  

“Not so fast.  Now, we are willing to make things easier on your little girlfriend here and we’ll wait until she’s on her way back to the freighter with us before Ron puts a bullet in your head,” Ivo offered. 

Felicity struggled.  “No!  Don’t kill him!  Please!  I’ll go with you just… leave him alone.” 

“I don’t know, honey, this one looks like he might chase after you,” Ivo said, looking up and down Oliver’s figure consideringly. 

“No, he won’t.”  She looked to him then, her eyes pleading.  Oliver’s heart felt like it was stuck in his throat.  “Please.”

“I can’t let them take you,” he told her. 

“And I can’t let them shoot you,” she replied softly. 

Several feet, the dying campfire, and several armed men stood between them but when they locked eyes, it felt like they had an entire conversation in that moment. 

“Tell you what, Romeo, I’ll leave Ron here with you, just to make sure you don’t follow us.  Then, after we’ve gotten back to the freighter, he’ll leave, we’ll pick him up and that’ll be that.  You’ll be left alive.  Does that work for you?”

Oliver grit his teeth but nodded. 

“Yes, thank you.  Thank you!” Felicity cried, grateful.

“Perfect.  I’ll give you two a moment to say goodbye.” 

Felicity was released and she stumbled around the fire and into Oliver’s waiting arms.  He held her to him tightly. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest and knew she was terrified.  “I’ll come for you,” he whispered. 

“I don’t want you to be killed,” she whispered back. 

“I won’t be,” he promised. 

Oliver could have held her forever, but after just that moment, she was ripped away from him again.  Felicity stifled a noise, her teeth biting into her lip.  The men walked out of the clearing with her held between them.  She struggled to look over her shoulder towards him until she was out of his sight. 

Oliver turned to Ivo, glaring once again.  “You won’t get away with this,” he growled. 

Ivo just smiled benignly.  “I already have, my friend.”  He turned to go, pausing next to Ron.  “Wait about an hour, we should be back to the freighter by then. Make sure you put the bullet in his head, so we know he can’t follow.”

That’s what Oliver had expected.  It made sense that Ivo would tell Felicity that they would let him go, but the plan was to kill him anyhow.  However, this knowledge didn’t alter his plan one bit.  

Oliver sat back down, watching the world lighten up around them as dawn broke. He must have slept longer than he thought, before these guys showed up.  Ron kept a close eye on him and considering how he and Felicity had given him and his buddies the slip the day before, that was hardly surprising.  The goon had his AK-47 at the ready, pointed at him.  Waiting.  

Which gave Oliver plenty of time to plan exactly what he wanted to do.  He was able to study Ron, gauge his reaction time, watch for signs of distraction (there weren’t many), and learn as much as he could.  He was also able to catalogue his surroundings, determine what was a weapon and what wasn’t.

About a half hour after Ivo left, Oliver was eyeing the dying embers of the campfire.  He made it look like he was just staring into the coals, contemplating his short-lived existence and Ron didn’t seem to think much of it.  Instead, Oliver was waiting until Ron glanced down, something he’d been doing every 3-5 minutes for the last fifteen minutes.  Oliver suspected it was his boots; they weren’t fitting right and he was tired of being on his feet all through the night.  

A minute later, almost right on cue, Ron looked down, shifting his feet.  Oliver seized his opportunity.  He grabbed a broad leaf off the bush behind him and in one swift moment, used it to scoop up the coals of the campfire.  He flung the smoking embers at Ron’s face, causing the other man to shout out in pain and surprise.  Before Ron could make another move, Oliver lunged at him, grabbing his gun. 

Ron had a good grip on the weapon, however, and wasn’t giving up very easily.  Although he couldn’t quite see, he was a big, burly fellow and wasn’t going to give up without a fight.  However, Oliver was pretty good at fighting.  Back on Maketea, he partook of the gym facilities regularly and had been known to get into (and out of) a few club brawls.  Oliver knew how to hold his own and had the strength to back it up.  

Still, it was a struggle as both men crashed to the jungle floor.  But Oliver wasn’t just fighting for his life; he was fighting for Felicity’s life as well.  He liked to think that gave him an edge. 

And it did.  After a well placed elbow to Ron’s jaw, Oliver finally wrested the gun away.  He had a split second to think… he didn’t want to kill this man but if he left him alive, Oliver would surely live to regret it.  He remembered Felicity, her fearful face as she was lead out of camp.  Felicity was what mattered.  And he would do whatever it took to get them out of this alive. 

With that in mind, he fired the gun.  

Oliver wasn’t sure if he’d killed Ron or not, but he wasn’t terribly interested in taking the time to find out.  The other man went down and at the very least, he was incapacitated.  Meanwhile, Ivo had a thirty minute head start on him and Oliver needed to catch up before the freighter left.  Taking the gun with him, Oliver set off through the jungle, purpose quickening his steps. 

***

Ray awoke the sound of a fist pounding on the door.  It was such an uncommon way for him to wake up that he found himself blinking confusedly, trying to clear his vision, his head pounding like a son of a bitch.  There was a rustling sound next to him and he looked up to see a flash of Sara’s bare ass before she slipped on a short robe that only barely brushed the tops of her thighs.  

Wait… what?

Ray sat up quickly in the bed and then grabbed at his head as a fresh wave of pounding set up shop behind his eyes. 

“Coming!” Sara called out moments before she reached the door and opened it.  Ray squinted his eyes and saw the concierge standing at the threshold.  He glanced at Ray briefly before turning his attention to Sara. 

“Sara, Air-Sea will be here in twenty minutes.  You two need to get to the airstrip.” 

“Shit, that’s right.  Sorry, we overslept. We’ll be right there.”

She closed the door and Ray groaned, rubbing at his eyes. The sheet pooled around his waist and, yep, he was definitely naked.  Oh god.  He was _never_ drinking rum again. 

“What— What did I do?” he asked, horrified at how rough his voice sounded to his own ears.  “And how many times did I do it?” Quite frankly, he ached all over.  The good kind of ache. Which was _bad_. 

“Are you okay?” Sara asked, pausing next to the bed and looking entirely unconcerned with him being naked in her bed. 

“No, I am _not_ okay,” Ray groaned.  “This is wrong.  This was all wrong.”

“Excuse you.  Insult, much?”  She stood with a hip cocked out, giving him a look. 

Ray grimaced. “No, not you.  Everything you did was very right.  But what I did was _very_ wrong.”

Sara sat on the edge of the bed.  “Ray… you were upset last night and so was I.  This has been a terrible week for both of us.  We sought comfort with each other.  How can that be wrong?” 

“Because I’m _engaged_!  To Felicity!  She could be out there, right now!”

A shadow passed Sara’s face and Ray knew what she was thinking.  It was the same thing he’d been trying not to think for the last day.  That Felicity, and Oliver, were gone forever. That they wouldn’t find them today or anytime soon.  That, given that circumstance which was looming large, perhaps he wasn’t actually engaged to anyone anymore. 

Ray let himself fall back against the pillows, overwhelmed.  

“Well, can you at least save the self-recrimination until later?  We need to get dressed and meet the chopper.”  Sara patted his leg before getting up and going to her dresser.  

He groaned again as the pounding in his head increased.  Today was going to be a long, fucking day.  He hoped against all hope that there would be come coffee waiting for them because the possibility of going up in a helicopter without any caffeine and this headache was sounding like torture. 

Five minutes later, in record time, they were in the jeep on the way to the airstrip.  Their driver had brought them some croissants and fruit to eat but the sight of the food disgusted Ray.  

“How can I eat?” he asked.  “I’m scum, I’m garbage.”

Sara pushed a disposable cup of coffee into his hand.  “That’s the hangover talking. Here, drink this.  You’ll feel better.”

Thank god for coffee.  Grateful, he took a sip but shook his head at what she’d said. “I don’t deserve to feel better.  This experience has tested me and revealed that I have no character whatsoever.”

“Ray, relax.  You’re fine.  You’re a guy, you can’t help that.”

That didn’t make him feel better, somehow. In fact, if anything, it annoyed him, the idea that it was expected he would cheat on his fiancee because he was a guy who couldn’t control himself.

The radio in the jeep crackled to life and the driver picked it up, pulling to the side of the road.  “Say again?” he said into the radio after shutting the engine off. 

“Air-Sea just called off the search.” 

Silence descended and the coffee he’d just drank sank like a rock to the pit of his stomach.  

“What does that mean?” Ray asked, even though he knew damn well what it meant. 

Sara had tears in her eyes and she grabbed his hand and held on tight.  

“I’m so sorry, Ray,” she murmured.  

So that was it.  

Felicity was lost to him, forever.  It was fitting, he supposed in a bitter sort of way.  Even if she was with him right now, Ray knew he didn’t deserve her. 

***

As she came around to awareness, Felicity realized she was laying on a cold, hard surface.  There was a dripping noise nearby and the sounds of scuffling around her.  She really hoped that scuffling wasn’t rats.  Felicity sat up and looked around, realizing through the her haze of confusion that she was in a cell.  An actual cell, with bars and everything. There was a pallet that she was laying on and a bucket of water.  Peering through the bars, she saw other cells, lining the dark, dank room.  Each cell appeared to contain a woman, not unlike herself.  Most of them were laying on the floor, and from what she could tell, probably asleep.

Felicity remembered being taken from Oliver by Ivo and his men.  She remembered pleading for Oliver’s life and being dragged away.  She’d struggled so much as they lead her down the mountain that one of the brutes had knocked her on the head and everything had gone dark.  And now she was here. 

Felicity guessed that this was the freighter.  She couldn’t hear the thrumming of engines so she didn’t think they had left the island yet.  Maybe there was still time.  Oliver had said he would come for her, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t try to do something to help herself in the meantime.  Sitting up, she looked into the next cell to find the woman there was watching her.  

“Hi,” Felicity said, hoping the other woman spoke English. 

“Hello.”  

“My name is Felicity.”

“Sonya.  Welcome to hell.”  Sonya was pretty, and young.  She looked to be college age, maybe. 

Felicity snorted.  “Is this the freighter?”

“Yeah.  They just brought you in about five minutes ago.”

“How long have you been here?”

“A week.  They grabbed me while I was on vacation with friends in Fiji.  Marie was brought here yesterday.”  Sonya jerked a thumb at the cell on her other side, where the woman sat curled into a ball, her forehead resting on her knees. 

From what little details she could make out, the other woman looked like the same woman that had been on the yacht they’d seen yesterday.  The one who’d had to watch her boyfriend be murdered right in front of her.  Felicity’s heart went out to her. 

They had to get out of here, all of them.  There had to be a way to get out.  Felicity wasn’t content to just sit here and wait to be sold into sexual slavery to some greasy creep.  She didn’t deserve that and neither did any of these other women.  Ivo couldn’t get away with this.  And, Felicity was a little startled to realize, she wanted to get back to Oliver.  Ray wasn’t even the first thing to cross her thoughts, instead she thought of Oliver and the way he’d held her last night at the fireside.  

Interesting.

The realization filled her with a new determination.  What would Oliver do in this situation?  Would he sit back and wait for his fate or would he make something happen?  She knew the answer before she’d even finished asking it of herself. 

Like hell she was going to sit here and wait for a rescue that might never come.  Felicity was getting out of here.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity do what they do best: be utter and complete BAMFs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you SO MUCH for reading along with this, for trusting the story I had to tell. That means a lot to me. The last chapter will go up on TUESDAY morning. I'm contemplating writing a sequel but I'm thinking for it, and for all future stories, about posting only at Ao3 with a link on Tumblr. What do you guys think? I think that might work easiest, going forward.

 

As she was taking stock of her most unfriendly surroundings, Felicity remembered the cell phone she’d stuck into her boot.  That felt like it’d been weeks ago, instead of just two days.  Working quickly, she fished it out and found it still tightly encased in the plastic bag, protected from the water.  But… no signal still.  Dammit.  

If she could get out of this cell, Felicity could find the control room and surely there’d be a functioning radio there.  She could call for help.  Or find Oliver.  Anything was better than sitting in this cell and awaiting the inevitable.

Felicity got to her feet and checked the bucket.  It was filled with water.  That gave her an idea. She checked the pallet she’d woken up on.  There were no sheets but the fabric wrapped around the stuffing was loose enough that she could tear it.  Sonya watched her silently as Felicity tore a large strip of fabric from the pallet.  Then, she dunked it in the water, got it good and soaking wet.  She just needed… 

Another perusal of her cell revealed nothing that would work for the job she needed.  There was nothing in Sonya’s cell either.  However, in Marie’s cell there was a rickety looking wooden chair in the corner.  _That_ would work.  

“Can you ask her if she can get a leg off of that chair?” Felicity asked Sonya. 

“What do you need it for?”

“I have a plan. I saw something in a movie once that I want to try.”

“I can try.  She doesn’t talk much.”

Felicity watched, teeth biting into her lower lip, as Sonya tried talking to Marie.  The other woman spoke French, of which Felicity only knew a handful of phrases and nothing that would be helpful for asking what she wanted.  Marie didn’t seem interested in talking at first but Sonya persisted.  At one point, Marie lifted her head and met Felicity’s gaze.  

Something she saw there must have convinced her, because Marie got to her feet and crossed to the chair.  She examined it before turning it over, testing each of the legs for a weakness.  One of them wobbled and she worked it, back and forth, unless it loosened more and then she snapped it off.  

Marie passed the leg through the bars to Sonya who then passed it to Felicity.  “Merci,” she called to the other woman.  

Marie just nodded in response and watched her closely.   

Felicity went back to the bucket where the long strip of fabric was still soaking.  She pulled the fabric out and selected a portion of her cell that opened into the hallway.  At the end of that hallway was a door and it was ajar, meaning it wasn’t locked.  That had to be the way out of here.  She doubled up the fabric and then wrapped it around two of the bars so that the ends faced her.  Felicity wrapped the ends around the chair legs and began to twist.  

It was hard.  It was a lot fucking harder than that movie made it look.  But these bars were old and they creaked and groaned as they flexed.  She needed more leverage.  Quickly, without loosening up the fabric, she shimmied the fabric down the bars to hip-height.  She turned the leg and then used her own weight to help push against it.  Her arms burned with the effort but she reminded herself that she was not going to let this happen to her.  Or to these other women.  She was going to get out of here, get back to Oliver, and that was that.  She had a life to live, dammit.  

As Felicity began to make progress, Sonya quietly cheered her on.  Some of the other women in the large room started to rouse and there were murmurs all around her.  Felicity couldn’t concentrate on them and what they were saying though.  Sweat dripped off her brow as she worked the chair leg.  With the combination of the wet and therefore unbreakable fabric around the bars and the leverage provided by the leg, the cell bars were bending towards one another.  It was creating a large gap, one that she would be able to fit through.  

Felicity had worked on a section that was near to Sonya’s cell and there was a reason for that.  “Quick… hold this,” she instructed.  Sonya reached through the bars, grabbing ahold of the chair leg.  Once she had a good grip, Felicity let go.  “Keep it like that, I’m going to try to slip out.” 

“Go.  Hurry.” Sonya panted with the effort of holding the chair leg from this awkward angle.  Felicity wasted no time, stepping through and then easing her hips through sideways.  It was one of those rare occasions where she was glad for her small breasts and that made her think of their first day on the island, when Oliver had insulted her “tits”.  It made her grin, in spite of herself. 

Felicity had to turn her head and even then, it was a tight fit… she had to bend her legs and get lower but she pushed and… she was free.  She’d done it! 

There were hushed cheers from all around her.  Felicity turned to Sonya and reached for her hand.  The other girl took her hand and squeezed. “I’ll be back.  I promise. I won’t leave you guys here. I just need to find the radio room, call for help.”

“I trust you.  Go!  And be careful!”

“I’ll be back!” she promised again before setting off towards the ajar door.  A quick peek told her that the hallway beyond was empty.  That surprised her; she expected to find at least someone guarding this hallway.  But maybe they needed more hands to get the freighter underway.  She had no idea.  Felicity wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.  With very little idea of which direction she needed to go, Felicity set off in search of salvation. 

***

Oliver hurried through the jungle, following after the trail left by Ivo and his men.  They hadn’t been very careful to cover up their tracks and he could clearly see which way they’d gone from all the trampled underbrush and snapped branches.  He made it down to the beach in fifteen minutes and from there, he could see the freighter, anchored out in the cove.  The yacht, which they had once seen as their salvation, was no where in sight.  Perhaps the slavers had sunk her.  

There was, however, a motorboat left at the beach, presumably for Ron once he finished his “job”.  Rob wasn’t going to need it anymore, however, and Oliver felt no compunction as he climbed in and set off towards the freighter.  

He didn’t see the other motorboat anywhere on the ocean, meaning Ivo and his goons had probably already reached the freighter and had taken Felicity on board.  Just as well, he’d be able to deal with them all easier if they were spread out on the boat.  While he was now armed, he was still facing a good number of men all on his own.  

Oliver cut the engine as he drew close, using the paddle to bring himself alongside the freighter.  He saw the other motorboat tied up to a rope ladder that lead up to the top deck of the freighter. He tied up the boat he was in before carefully climbing up the ladder and onto the deck.  

There was one man, gun in hand, patrolling the deck but he was on the other side with his back to him.  Oliver pulled himself onto the deck silently and then hid behind some crates.  When the man drew near, Oliver hit him hard in the head with the butt of his gun and pushed him behind some crates.  

Oliver found a door leading down into the bowels of the freighter and snuck over to it, easing it open quietly.  There was a small flight of stairs, leading down onto the deck below and he crept down them, pausing when he heard some voices. 

“Ivo says we shove off in fifteen minutes, whether Ron is back or not.”

“Good. I can’t wait to get to Manila and get our payday.”

“Me either.  This whole cat and mouse game has been a waste of our time, but you know how Ivo gets.” 

“The man loves a challenge.”

Fifteen minutes.  Not a lot of time to find Felicity and stop Ivo.  At the very least, he wanted to get to Felicity, get her to safety and possibly get himself to safety as well.  Ivo, at this point, was just icing on the cake.   

How could he get past these guys without making a ton of racket?  The guy on deck was easy enough, but this was two against one and in an enclosed space.   The ideal situation would be to jump them when their backs are turned, knock them out.  The butt of his gun to the back of their heads seemed to be the best option.  He wished he had some rope or cuffs or something to tie the goons up so they didn’t sneak up on him later.  He’d just have to be extra sure to knock them in the head hard enough.  

Peeking around the corner into the hallway, he saw the guys had their backs to him.  Now was the time.  Quietly and quickly as he could, Oliver leapt from his concealed spot and immediately cracked one of the goons on the back of the head.  He fell in a crumpled heap onto the floor as his buddy swung around, gun already up.  Oliver grabbed his wrist and twisted his hand until he let out a strangled cry and dropped the gun.  Then, he knocked that man in the side of the head and he fell onto the floor, next to his buddy.  

Oliver didn’t even take a moment to admire his handy work before he was off down the hallway, in search of Ivo or Felicity.  

***

As she moved through the corridors, Felicity heard the chattering of men and lots of pounding boots.  Something was going on, she just wasn’t sure what.  Perhaps that was why no one had been guarding the hallway just outside the room with the cells.  Whatever it was, Felicity was eternally grateful for the distraction.  It made it a hell of a lot easier for her to pick her away around the freighter, to find what she was looking for.  

Really, she thought, a map would be handy in this situation.  Commercial cruises always had maps but she supposed hoping for one in a freighter belonging to a despicable man was asking for too much. 

Felicity was heading towards the front of the ship, or at least she thought she was.  Felicity climbed several staircases, believing that the radio room would likely be on the top deck for better reception.  Her instincts lead her right as she looked out a porthole on the next landing and saw that she was indeed at the front of the boat.  Trusting her instincts, she kept moving ahead.  

Along the way, she checked doors and found a galley, a med bay, several living quarters and a supply closet.  She’d just crested another flight of stairs when she peeked into a room at the end of the corridor there and found what she’d been looking for. 

“Bingo,” she murmured, taking in the radio equipment before her.  It was also the wheel-house as she noticed the controls for the freighter.  It was a miracle no one was already here, waiting to ambush her.  Felicity knew she’d better act quickly. 

She’d just picked up a radio receiver when someone crashed into the room.  Felicity tried to stifle her yelp as she jumped in the air and whirled around.  

There was one breathless moment where she was sure if it was Ivo and if she was caught.  But it was _Oliver_.  Felicity had to blink a couple times, just to be sure it was’t her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. 

“Oliver?” 

“Felicity!”  

He rushed towards her and she met him halfway in a crushing hug.  “Oh my god, what are you doing here?”

“I’m so glad to see you,” he gasped into her ear.  “I told you I wasn’t going to let them take you.”

“They’ll kill you!”

“They’ve already tried.  Ron was left behind to kill me, not to guard me.” 

Felicity didn’t know why she was surprised to hear that.  She shouldn’t be, after everything they’d been through.  “I’m so glad you got away.”

“Yeah, me too.”  A shadow crossed behind his eyes and Felicity made a note to herself to ask him about it later.  But first, they had things to take care of.

“There’s so many women locked up below deck, Oliver.  We have to get them out of there.”

“Can you work this radio?  We have to move quickly.  I knocked a bunch of guys out but the rest are running around, looking for me.  Word got out I was on the ship.”

Felicity released Oliver and turned back to the radio, studying the controls.  She’d never worked a radio quite like this before but it was all just wires anyhow.  She could figure this out in a snap.  

Meanwhile, Oliver guarded the door, gun at the ready.  While she testing the knobs, Felicity heard shouting out in the corridor and gunfire as Oliver tried to hold them off.  “Hurry!” he called out to her. 

“I’m trying!”

She was just tuning on a frequency when a loud bang sounded in the room and the radio started to smoke.  Felicity was still gaping at the hole in the radio when Oliver grabbed her, pushing her underneath the desk.  Several of the goons had pushed their way into the room and now Oliver was fighting them.   

“Oliver!  The radio!” 

But Oliver had his hands full.  Felicity tried not to yelp as he knocked the guys out and then barricaded the door.  

“It’s safe, for now.  Quick, is the radio functional?” 

Felicity climbed out from underneath the desk and looked at the smoking wreckage of the radio.  She groaned.  “No, the bullet fried it.  We have the worst luck.”

“Fuck,” Oliver growled.  He began pacing around the room, searching for something.  _Anything_. 

“But…” She poked at the parts as a thought occurred to her.  “I might be able to use these parts to boost my phone!” 

“Do you have the tools you need?” 

She quickly listed what she’d need to get the job done, mostly just pliers and a screwdriver, and Oliver tore the room apart, looking for them.  He’d just found everything that she could possibly use to fix up her phone when she heard the jingling of keys.  Felicity looked up from her phone and the radio which she’d already begun to take apart. 

“I found these,” he told her, holding them up. 

The label on the keychain said “cells”.  Felicity turned wide eyes onto Oliver.  “Those open the cells, like the one I was in.”

Oliver nodded. “Okay, you get to work on boosting your phone and I’ll run down and free the women.  Maybe get some of the crew that I knocked out and stuff them in there instead.”

Felicity grinned.  “Sounds like a plan.”  Quickly, she gave him directions on where to go. 

“You’ll be alright here?” he asked, his eyes all over her.  She could tell he was reluctant to leave her alone.  

“I’ll be fine.  I’ll barricade the door again soon as you leave so no one will get in.  Just hurry!”

“Got it, boss,” he said with a wink and he stopped to drop a quick kiss onto her lips before going to the door. 

Felicity fought a flush as she called out, “And _be careful_!” 

She definitely wanted that man back in one piece. 

***

Oliver followed the directions Felicity gave him, hurrying below decks.  He took the men he knocked out in the control room with him, dragging them into a room and barring it from the outside, to keep them in there until he was able to get them into the cells.  

There was still no sign of Ivo, which concerned him.  The sooner that creep was dealt with, the better he’d feel about everything.  But, for right now, Oliver had a job to do and so he focused on that, while keeping an eye out for the erstwhile ringleader.

On his journey down, each time Oliver came across someone he’d knocked out previously, he did the same thing as before, locking them in a room until he could come back to retrieve them and lock them in the cells. He was lucky there was only about ten men total, or else there was no way he could have managed it on his own.   

Finally, he found the room with the cells and he had to stop and stare at the sheer number of women who sat in the cells, watching him with fearful eyes.  There were eight of them in total; Felicity would have made nine. They probably thought he was one of the crew.  His heart twisted, knowing that Felicity had been in one of those cells, however briefly.  He made a mental note to ask her later how she’d gotten out. 

“Ladies, relax.  I’m here to free you.  Felicity sent me.”

One woman in particular cried out in relief.  “Thank god!  She told us she wouldn’t forget us.” 

“And she didn’t.  She’s trying to call for help right now,” he explained.  “I’m here to rescue you.  My name is Oliver.”

The women all made noises of relief while the ones who could speak English explained to the others what he was saying.  There were some sniffles from some who were crying tears of gratitude. Some of the women looked like they’d been stuck down there for weeks and his heart went out to them. Quickly, he moved from cell to cell, unlocking the doors and throwing them open. 

“Go out the hallway and there’s a stairway to the left,” he instructed them. He gave the rest of the directions up to the top deck.  Oliver was pretty sure he’d subdued the whole crew (all except Ivo, of course), but one or two could be lurking and he hoped against all hope that the women wouldn’t run into any of them on their way up.  “Once you’re up there, look for the rope ladder tied to the edge.  Climb down that and you’ll find a couple of motorboats.  Take those to the shore and hide in the jungle.  Just to be safe, while we call for help.  If you see anyone besides myself or Felicity or a rescue party, _hide_.”

One of the women came up to him and threw her arms around his neck, swamping him with a hug.  “Thank you,” she whispered.  Then she released him and ran out with the rest of the ladies. 

Oliver fought a flush as he watched them run out.  It felt good, what he was doing.  Helping people.  Saving them.  It felt _right_.  He continued through the freighter, rounding up goons and dragging them down to the cells, locking them up.  A few of them were coming around when he got to them, so Oliver clocked them in the head again.  It took him a while, and a lot of effort, but it felt good. Besides Ron, he hadn’t had to kill anyone else, and that felt good too.  

Once he felt sure he had everyone rounded up and locked away, Oliver headed back to the control room.  Hopefully, Felicity had done what needed to be done in order to boost her phone.  Theoretically, they could steer the freighter out of here and towards Maketea.  He had noticed a compass and everything that would help guide him.  But he’d never so much as powered a sailboat before, much less a giant freighter.  Their escape from this island would be much easier if they could just call for some help.  

Oliver knocked at the control room door.  There wasn’t an answer so he tried the knob.  It was open, which made him want to grumble.  Felicity had said she would barricade the door when he left.  So much for looking out for her own safety. 

“Felicity, what are you thinking leaving the door—“ Oliver cut off as he entered and found Ivo standing in the center of the room, Felicity trapped in his grasp.  He had a hand wrapped around her neck, and was wearing a rather feral looking grin. 

“We need to stop running into each other like this,” the other man said.  

“Oliver,” Felicity choked out.  He noticed something in her hand, something she was trying to hide from Ivo.  _Her phone_.  Had she been able to fix it?  Had she called for help yet? 

The door slammed behind him and Oliver spun around to see Jimmy, Ivo’s right hand man, standing there, a gun trained on him.  _Shit_.  He _had_ forgotten someone besides Ivo.  Now that mistake might cost him everything.  Including Felicity’s life. 

“Jimmy was kind enough to come to my quarters and summon me,” Ivo explained.  “He told me you were on board, causing a ruckus.  Then, I came up here and found out this _minx_ had gotten out somehow and was trying to use the radio.”  He tsked as though disappointed.  Felicity just glared. 

“I told you before, you won’t get away with this,” Oliver vowed, his voice dark.  He had nothing to back up his promise, but he felt in his bones, that he wouldn’t rest until he stopped this man and had Felicity safe. 

“Of course I will,” Ivo said and his confidence irked Oliver even more.  Then, he nodded at Jimmy.  “Please, by all means, do what we should have done the first time we laid eyes on this troublemaker.”

Before Oliver could react, Jimmy pulled the trigger on his gun. Pain exploded on his right side and Oliver stumbled back, his hand automatically going to the site.  Felicity cried out and struggled in Ivo’s grasp but he held her firm, a fierce grin on his face.  Oliver pulled his hand away, noticing a good deal of blood, dripping red on his fingers. 

Now he was just _mad_.  Oliver looked up from his bloody hand and into Jimmy’s face.  The other man looked as startled that he'd missed a kill shot as he was that Oliver was still standing.  He lifted the gun to finish the job but Oliver lunged forward.  Ivo shouted something and so did Felicity but Oliver didn’t hear anything besides the blood rushing in his ears.  He knocked the gun out of Jimmy’s hand and struggled with him on the floor. 

They rolled a few times and Jimmy got in one or two good hits to his jaw.  The pain just fed Oliver’s adrenaline, however.  They’d come too far for it to end like this.  He rolled them again and now he was on top with the advantage.  He reached for the gun he’d dropped when he’d lunged at Jimmy. 

Oliver lifted the butt of his borrowed AK-47 and knocked Jimmy out.  The man went limp underneath him and Oliver scooped up the gun the goon had been holding, tucking it into the back of his waistband.  

“Oliver!” Felicity cried, sounding fearful. “You’re shot!”

“I don’t need to be told that,” he muttered, eyeing the growing red stain on his shirt.  

Ivo looked stunned that Oliver had overpowered his right hand man.  Oliver lifted his gun at Ivo and sneered.  “You’re done, Ivo.  Let her go and step away.”

Ivo released Felicity and she ran to Oliver’s side immediately, her fingers automatically going to his side to investigate the damage. He hissed when she made contact, finally aware of how much it fucking _hurt_ to be shot. 

“How on earth do you keep thwarting my plans?  Both of you?”  Ivo sounded incredulous. 

Oliver shrugged.  “You shouldn’t have chased us.  You should have just let us go.”

“But if he’d done that, we wouldn’t have had a chance to free all those poor women,” Felicity pointed out. 

“Mmm, good point.”

“Wait, you let them all out?” Ivo cried. 

“Of course we did!  They’re human beings, Ivo, something you lost sight of.”  Oliver pointed at Jimmy’s prone body with the muzzle of his gun. “Now, help me get your buddy here down to the cells.  You two are going to cool your heels there until the authorities arrive.  Then they can do with you what they please.”

“Oliver, you need to sit down,” Felicity cautioned him.  

“I will.  Soon as I get these two taken care of.”  

Ivo carried most of Jimmy’s weight, with Oliver providing a bit of support.  He was starting to feel weak and woozy, a sign of blood loss.  Felicity carried the handgun, keeping it trained on Ivo’s back, just in case he made any funny moves.  Oliver hadn’t been sure about putting her in that position but Felicity had assured him that she wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger if the need arose.  

It sounded like she was just as tired of all this nonsense as he was. 

Once Ivo and Jimmy were locked up with the others, Felicity helped Oliver up onto the deck.  The sun was shining down and felt so warm against his skin.  He was starting to feel chilled.  Stumbling a little, he slumped against a pile of crates.  

“Oliver!  You’re white as a sheet!” Felicity cried. 

“I just… need to lay down a minute…” 

“I didn’t get a chance before Ivo busted into the control room… but I have the phone ready. I think this will work.  Just hold on, okay.  Let me try it out.”

Oliver watched through half-lidded as Felicity paced back and forth before him, pressing buttons on her phone.  He could hear her voice, as though listening through a long tunnel, as she connected with someone.  He felt her pat his arm and tell him, her voice a bit nearer, that she was running back to the control room to get their coordinates so she could give them to Air-Sea rescue.  

Oliver nodded but he felt like he was moving through jello.  His vision was growing dim around the edges, the sound of the sea melding together with the pounding in his ears as he closed his eyes and let oblivion take him. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity are rescued off of the island but neither of them can shake what happened between them while they were there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter! Last one (and it's a BIG ONE) goes up tomorrow. Be thinking of what you might like to see from a sequel as I'll be asking for you to leave comments tomorrow letting me know what you want! Also, when I mentioned posting primarily to Ao3, I meant for the sequel and all future works, but clearly I will finish this one up on ff.net and tumblr as well!

Felicity had an agonizing wait, sitting there on the deck of that freighter, Oliver’s head cradled in her lap.  She thought about jumping into the water and trying to swim for shore, to let the women know that it was safe now, that help was on the way.  But she didn’t want to leave Oliver.  He was resting comfortably, and the towel she’d found in one of the staterooms on the freighter had worked to at least slow the loss of blood.  So she sat, towel pressed to Oliver’s side, his blood staining her hands and clothes, and waited.  

Plus, she wasn’t that great a swimmer. 

It felt like ages later but was probably only an hour before the rhythmic sound of a helicopter could be heard.  Moments later, two helicopters swooped overhead.  

“Hold on, Oliver,” she murmured to him, though he definitely wasn’t hearing her.  “Help is coming.  Just hold on.”  

Both helicopters circled the freighter before flying to the beach and landing there as there wasn’t a lot of room to land a helicopter that size on the deck of the freighter.  Soon, the motorboats carrying various rescue personnel were headed their way.  Then, a group of people climbed up on deck and rushing to her side.  Oliver was taken from her, secured to a stretcher and a harness.  She was pulled away by a female rescue worker and Felicity tried to resist at first. 

“I want to stay with him!” she protested. 

“You can and you will.  But we need to get one of the helicopters and fly over here, then we can lift him up. It’s quicker than trying to lower him into the motorboat,” the woman explained kindly.  

She hated to admit it, but that actually made sense.  Felicity climbed down into one of the motorboats and with a few other workers, rode to shore.  She gave them a summary of what had happened, how they’d encountered the slavers and how those slavers were now locked up in the belly of that freighter.  One of the crew relayed what she was saying to someone else through a walkie talkie.  

She was told there was also a boat en route and that there were authorities on board who would properly apprehend the Ivo and his crew.  They would also attend to the women.  Right now, several of the rescue workers were giving the women triage care, since some had been neglected for several weeks.  But everyone looked as though they were going to make it.  Felicity felt relief but it was tempered by her worry for Oliver. 

He’d lost a lot of blood and they were both surely dehydrated to start with after the last few days.  He hadn’t had much to eat, hadn’t gotten much sleep… Oliver was a big strong guy but there was no denying, he wasn’t at this strongest right now.  She would feel a lot better if she was sitting next to him, holding his hand. 

The boat arrived on shore and Felicity was up and out before it even came to a full stop.  The women Ivo had stolen and locked up came out of the jungle when they saw Felicity and all of them looked relieved that their nightmare was finally ending.  With that sorted, Felicity hurried towards the helicopter that was already prepping for takeoff, climbing inside before anyone could tell her that she couldn’t. 

The pilots introduced themselves as Tom and Ricky.  The woman she’d met on the freighter, Beth, climbed in with her and off they went.  

“We’ve been looking for you guys,” Ricky told her as the beach disappeared below them.  

“You have?” Felicity blinked. 

“Yep.  Tom and I have been flying the search missions for you guys.  Your boyfriend and the pilot’s girlfriend rode along with us on every one. Yeah, we never looked quite this far south.  You guys must have gotten blown way off course.”

Felicity sat back in her seat and felt a wave of sickening guilt wash over her.  Ray had been worried sick about her, of course he had.  And Sara had been worried about Oliver, even though she believed him when he’d told her that they were just friends.  Felicity and Ray weren’t just friends, however, and she still wore his ring on her finger.  It was a fact she’d been ignoring all day long but she couldn’t keep doing that. 

But first… she had to make sure Oliver was okay, that he was going to _be_ okay.  Because she’d go crazy otherwise.  Regardless of what right she had to worry, she was going to worry anyhow and that was the sad truth of the matter. 

Moments later, the helicopter hovered over the deck of the freighter.  The rescue team that had taken over his care situated his stretcher into a sling that would lift him up into the helicopter.  One of the workers rode with the stretcher and Felicity held her breath until Oliver was brought safely into the belly of the helicopter.  

“How is he?” she asked immediately. 

“Stable,” the guy who rode up with him answered.  “The wound looks like a through and through, meaning the bullet left the body.  It didn’t puncture any major organs, just some muscle and tissue damage.  He’s pretty lucky.  But he’s dehydrated and you two have had a hell of a time this last week, I think all that piled up together and so he lost consciousness.”

Felicity nodded and grabbed Oliver’s hand.  It felt cold and clammy, not at all how his hands usually felt.  She watched his face, wishing that he would wake up and tell her to stop fussing, that he was fine.  She wished so many things. 

“Does he need the hospital on Pape’ete?” she asked. 

The guy shook his head.  “There’s a clinic on Maketea that should be able to care for him just fine.  He’s got no other complications, he’s a young, strong man.  A day in the clinic to rest up and get his fluids restored should set him right again.”

Well that was a relief.  But it meant they were headed to Maketea right now.  And maybe Felicity was a chicken but she wasn’t sure she was ready to face Ray just yet.  Could she look her fiancé in the eye, knowing that she’d fallen for another man?  

_Don’t think about it, Felicity._

So she sat, with his hand in hers, willing him strength and watching the ocean slip by underneath them as their helicopter sped towards Maketea.  It wasn’t long before they reached their destination and the helicopter landed gently on the grass airstrip.  

Felicity saw several of the staff of the clinic waiting there and they were the ones to accept Oliver’s stretcher when it was pulled off.  He was loaded onto a jeep and whisked away.  Felicity wanted to protest, wanted to follow and make sure he was okay but it wasn’t her place.  

Moments later, she was engulfed in a hug without even seeing who it was that had her.  But she realized she recognized those arms.  And that voice, which was speaking into her ear. 

“Oh, Felicity, I thought I’d never see you again.  I can’t believe you’re here!  Are you okay?  Do you need to go to the clinic?”

It was Ray.  Felicity tried to feel what she knew she should feel, being reunited with him.  Her heart should be leaping, she should be clinging to him, telling him how much she missed him, how much she’d thought about him while she’d been lost… 

But she couldn’t. 

Instead, Felicity pulled back and looked into his face, hoping to feel something like what she’d felt earlier that week.  Ray smiled at her, tears of happiness shining in his eyes and she felt… nothing.  

“I’m fine,” she murmured.  “Just… tired.  And I need a shower.”

Ray laughed at that.  “You sure do.  You look like you’ve been through the ringer. I don’t know what all happened, but they’d just called off the search and everyone was planning a memorial.  Sara and I were devastated, of course.  But then someone from the front desk said Air-Sea had gotten a distress call from _you_ and it was chaos from there,” he told her as he lead her to a waiting jeep. 

“I had to boost the signal on my phone,” she said as she sat on the hard seat of the jeep.  Where was Oliver now?  Was he awake?  Would he be wondering why she wasn’t there? 

“If anyone could do that, it’s you.  I can’t even begin to imagine where you found the parts for that.”

“It wasn’t easy…” 

The jeep bumped along the makeshift road, taking them to their bungalow.  Eventually, she would need to tell him the full story, but right then, Felicity just didn’t have it in her. The shock of everything that had happened settled over her and she felt cold, even in the afternoon sun.  A long hot shower would surely put her right.  

Maybe a hot shower would help clear her mind of Oliver.  It was no wonder her thoughts were tangled up with him.  Maybe it was like a twisted up version of Stockholm Syndrome. Felicity had always excelled at getting her head in the game, putting her personal concerns aside and focusing on what needed to be done.  That’s what she’d do here.  

A hot shower would help. 

***

As it turned out, a shower helped a great many things.  Felicity was finally able to get her hair clean, watching with a wrinkled nose as dirt swirled around the drain and twigs and leaves collected around her feet.  She shampooed her hair no fewer than four times until she felt like the strands were finally clean.  Then, she soaked her hair in conditioner, hoping to return some semblance of softness— _(Would Oliver like her hair soft and clean and smelling nice?)._

She let the hot water wash over her, scalding her skin and she used the entire bottle of shower gel that the resort provided scrubbing herself of every last vestige of that island.  Of the freighter.  

Felicity knew that she’d come dangerously close to a terrible fate earlier.  Ivo and his crew were going to sell her and all those other women into slavery.  And not the definition of slavery that she’d grown up with either, not that that was any better.  She wasn’t naive.  She, an independent and educated young woman, would have been reduced something less than human.  And it happened to other women, all around the world, all the time.  

It was enough to send her to knees, weak with relief but also with guilt and horror.  

There was a knock at the bathroom door.  Ray.  “Felicity?  Are you okay in there.”

Felicity blinked, swiping at her eyes which she realized was fruitless given the water running in rivulets down her face and body.  She cleared her throat.  “I’m fine.”

“You’ve been in there a long time.”

“I’m almost done.  I’ll be right out.” 

She shaved her legs and rinsed the conditioner out of her hair before turning off the taps, the water cooling as the hot water slowly ran out.  Felicity bundled herself in an enormous white towel, feeling small and insignificant as she padded to the sink and the mirror.  She looked like a drowned rat to her own eyes.  There were several small cuts on her forehead, on her arms, on her legs.  Nothing major.  The bruises looked nastier.  But, she was whole.  On the outside, at least, she was whole.  The rest of her would follow.

She slipped into one of the big white robes the resort provided, securing the belt around her waist before dealing with her hair. Moving mostly by muscle memory, Felicity dried her hair with the towel and then brushed it out until there were no more tangles.  She let it hang about her shoulders to air dry, not caring if it frizzed up in the humidity.  

She applied lotion to her arms and legs, moisturizer to her face.  Then, and only then, did she feel even a semblance of her old self.  Then, and only then, did she feel ready to face Ray.  

Felicity walked out into the bedroom and found Ray standing near the window overlooking the blue water of the cove the bungalows were built over.  She remembered the day they arrived here, how she’d been so bowled over by the view of the ocean and the fish and the sand the palm trees… It was still beautiful but she’d spent the last several days up close and personal with all of that.  Some of the bloom was off the rose.  

“Room service delivered that tea you asked for, while you were in the shower.”

Felicity looked to the table and found the tea service there.  Grateful, she crossed to it and fixed herself a cup, wanting the soothing, warm brew to settle her nerves.  As she sipped, she felt Ray’s eyes on her.  He came up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders.  

“Would you like a cup?” she asked him, hoping her voice sounded more even than her thoughts. 

“Sure.” 

Felicity fixed him as a cup as well and turned to pass it to him. 

“Thank you,” he said.  “I got an update on what happened with the women who were on that freighter with you and the men who’d captured you.”

“Oh? What’s the news?”  Felicity hoped the women were being taken care of right now, and that plans to reunited them with their loved ones were already underway. 

“Interpol has Ivo and his crew in custody and the Red Cross has the women at a hospital on Pape’ete.  From there, they’ll be discharged to their families.”

“Oh… that is just… _great_ news,” Felicity said with no small amount of relief. 

“Also, the resort has offered us a month’s free stay, anytime we want.” 

“You?  Or me?” 

Ray blinked at that.  “Both of us.”

“They’re probably afraid I’m going to sue them.” 

“If you sue anyone, it should be Oliver or Verdant Air.” 

“Oliver _is_ Verdant Air,” Felicity pointed out.  Ray gave her a strange look and Felicity cleared her throat.  “And no point.  He suffered just as much as I did… more, even.”

“How are you feeling?” Ray asked, looking concerned as he studied the cuts on her face.  

“I’m fine.”  

“Are you sure?  You’re all right?”

“Oh, yeah.  Just, you know, tired.”

He smiled at her.  “I bet you didn’t get a lot of rest.”

“Did you?  Get much sleep, that is?”

Ray shrugged.  “Not really.”

Felicity coaxed him over to the small love seat.  They sat and she took his hand.  “I”m sorry that I worried you.”

“It wasn’t your fault.  I just… every time I closed my eyes, all I could think about was you.”

“Oh, Ray.”  The guilt was becoming a dull throb, low in her gut.

“I think, deep down… I never expected I was going to see you again.  I felt… lost.”

“I know what you mean,” she admitted, not wanting to add that she felt it now and not about him. 

“I was just… I’m just a person, Felicity.  I’m just a man.”

Felicity didn’t know what to say to that.  What did that even mean? “I know that.”

“I’m not perfect.  Under that kind of pressure, people do things they might not otherwise.”

Felicity’s thoughts turned to Oliver and how they’d grown so close on the island.  She remembered kissing him, remembered their conversation by the fire.  She remembered how badly she’d wanted to kiss him again, to do more than just kiss him, even.  

“Sometimes, it can be hard to tell right from wrong,” Ray was saying. 

“Yes, it can,” Felicity agreed, her voice quiet. She needed to see Oliver.  She needed to find out if he felt the same way as she did.  If she left here, without ever knowing, she knew she would regret it.  

“I’m glad you understand,” Ray said and before he could say anything else, Felicity cut in. 

“I think I’m going to get dressed, go check on Oliver at the clinic. I want to see if he’s okay, thank him for all he did.”

Ray looked a little surprised.  “Oh!  Okay… do you want me to come with you?”

Felicity shook her head.  “No, I’ll be fine.  I’ll come right back and we can grab some dinner.  I want to go to bed early tonight, since our flight is so early tomorrow.”

“Okay.  Whatever you want.”

Those three words dogged Felicity as she got dressed and left the bungalow ten minutes later. 

***

Oliver sat in the clinic bed, propped up by pillows, playing solitaire with a deck of cards.  He was _that_ desperate for entertainment, because Oliver fucking _hated_ playing solitaire.  It was either that or chat up the nurses.  Not too long ago, that would have been his go-to move but right now, the prospect held little appeal. 

His side was bandaged up and he felt stiff and sore beyond all reckoning.  An IV in his arm was still delivering fluids and any minute now, that one scary nurse was going to be back to check his blood pressure.  

Oliver was miserable and felt a bit like a caged tiger. 

He’d woken up here in the clinic, with a needle in his arm, the smell of antiseptic in his nose and Felicity nowhere in sight.  Sara had been there, holding his hand and while that had been nice, and appreciated, it just hadn’t been the same.  And Sara, god bless her, had always been perceptive as hell. 

“I’m not the face you were hoping to see, am I?” she’d asked him, a twinkle in her eye telling him she wasn’t hurt by it so much as she was amused.  

Oliver had groaned, wiping a hand down his face.  “I’m sorry, Sara.  God, I’m so fucked.”

She’d nodded, her blond hair bouncing.  “Yes, you are.  Though…”  She’d paused to consider something, biting at her lip and… was that a blush?  Sara _never_ blushed.  “Maybe not as much as you think.”

“They must be giving me some great meds cuz that made no fucking sense.”

“Tell me this: do you like her?”

“Yeah, of course I like her.”  He hadn’t even needed to ask who Sara was referring to.  But holding his cards close to his chest was apparently something he did now.  

“I mean _like her_ , like her.  Did— Did something happen on the island with you guys?” 

“I kissed her.”

“You kissed her?”

“And she kissed me back.”

“Okay.  That’s it?”

If he’d had more of his strength back, Oliver would have smacked her arm.  “Yes, that’s it.”

“Did you want to do more?”

“Yes.  But she… she thought we shouldn’t.  And she was right.  We didn’t even know if we’d ever get back here but it was still too soon for that.  I respected that… I still do.  And now we are back here and she’s got Ray and he’s a much better guy for her.”

Sara’s forehead had wrinkled. “I think you should probably talk to her before you go making decisions about what’s better for her.”

“She’s probably busy reuniting with him right now,” Oliver had grumbled.  The thought made him feel ill, frankly.  He wondered if there was a tray for puking, just in case he needed it. 

“Oliver… just promise you won’t be an emotionally constipated jerk about this whole thing?”

“When have I ever—?”

“Promise me.  

Oliver had grumbled. “Sara… I’m just trying to be realistic here.”

She’d patted his hand.  “I know that.  But this is your heart.  Sometimes you have to take chances.  Otherwise, what the hell are we even doing here?”

Sara’s advice kept repeating in his head long after she’d gone, and as he kept losing to himself in solitaire. Seriously, it was the _worst_ game ever.  Sara clearly wanted him to be bold, to make a play for Felicity, but… if Felicity didn’t want that, how could he disrupt her happiness?  And even if she _did_ want that, what did he really have to offer her?  She was a successful woman with a life thousands of miles away from here.  He had a dinky charter plane business that was now down a plane.  Plus, who knew when he’d be cleared to fly again.  He could barely take care of himself, much less _her_.  

Those thoughts depressed him.  Which probably explained why he was playing solitaire.  He was just _that_ desperate. 

“Hi,” a soft voice said. 

Oliver looked to the curtain separating his bed from the rest of the open ward.  Felicity stood there, biting her lip and looking a bit nervous.  

He’d just seen her not that long ago, had spend the last several days with her, in fact.  But it felt like it’d been an eternity.  She looked amazing, of course.  Her hair was a little damp and drying in tousled waves, her face was clear of makeup, and she wore a simple sundress that looked absolutely _amazing_ on her.  

“Felicity!  Hi!”

“Keeping busy?” she asked, indicating the cards.  

“Oh, yeah.”  He swept them off the bed.  “No TV here, which kinda sucks.”

“How are you feeling?  What have the doctor’s said?”

“Looks like I’m going to make it,” he told her.  “They stitched me up, shot me full of antibiotics, want me here until my bag of fluids is gone, but other than that, I’m good as new.”

“That’s good.  I’m really glad to hear that.”  She looked and sounded shy, which was making him nervous.  She never was that way around him.  

“And how are you?  No problems?”

Felicity shook her head, causing the curls to bounce around her shoulders.  “Nope, I’m fine.”  Then she sighed and stepped forward.  “Oliver… what’s the deal here?”

“Deal?”

“With us.  You and me.”

He contemplated playing stupid but she deserved better than that.  “You’re asking if what happened on that island, between you and I, meant anything.”

She bit her lip again.  It was driving him more than a little crazy. “Yeah, I am.  Was that just something that happens to two people when they’re alone on an island together?”

Oliver studied her and felt the way his heart wanted to pound out of his chest.  He didn’t think it had much to do with being alone on and island with her and had everything to do with _her_.  He thought about what Sara had said and wondered how he could handle this without risking his heart too much.  He’d already had his heart crushed once, by two people he loved very much.  He couldn’t bear to let it happen again. 

“It was definitely something,” he finally told her.  “I felt it.  I still do.”

She smiled at that, looking relieved.  “I felt it too.” 

God, that was good to hear.  

“So, now what?” she asked. 

This was where reality intruded on his fantasy world, where he had to be practical.  Felicity was a practical woman and she needed him to be practical about _this_.  Not some romantic fool who couldn’t follow through.  “Well, I don’t know,” he began.  “I don’t really have anything here… I have my charter business and my routine…”

“Your ‘simple’ life,” Felicity cut in and there was something about the way she was watching him that made him feel uncomfortable. 

“Yeah.  But you’re young and brilliant with this huge career and an amazing future.  You deserve someone who won’t stand in the way of all of that.”

Her grey-blue eyes narrowed.  “Don’t you think that’s up to me to decide?  And don’t you think you’re selling yourself a bit short?”

“Felicity,” he said, pleading a little.  “Let’s be smart about this.  You don’t want to move here and become my co-pilot.  And can you honestly see me back in Starling with you, fetching you coffee?”

Felicity crossed her arms over her chest.  “So where does that leave us?”

His heart already felt like a gaping wound in his chest.  So much for choosing the path of less heartbreak.  That was a big fail for him.  But it didn’t have to be for her.  

“I think it leaves us nowhere,” he answered. “Let’s not complicate things.”

“Because you like things simple.”  Her expression was shuttered now and she looked… hard.  Oliver swallowed.  His heart felt like it was caught in his throat.

“Right.”  And he hated himself.  He hated that she looked so closed off right now, so much more like the woman he’d first met on the tarmac in Pape’ete.  

“Okay. That’s fine.  Good luck to you.  And thanks for… everything.”  

“Goodbye, Felicity.”

Oliver watched through the gap in the curtain, anguished, as Felicity walked away and out of the clinic.  That was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do and he’d had to do some pretty god-awful things in his life.  He grit his jaw and tried to get ahold of himself so that he didn’t start crying right here in the middle of the clinic. 

“Mr. Queen… how are you doing?” The scary nurse pulled back his curtain and entered, blood pressure cuff in one hand. 

He couldn’t bring himself to answer.  She studied him for a moment. 

“Do you need something for the pain?” she asked, her voice softening a bit. 

“Yeah,” he answered, his voice hoarse.  “Yeah, I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY. This is a terribly mean way to leave the chapter. And I could have borrowed from ch 6 (which is HUGE) to make this chapter longer but... I decided this was the better way. Sorry guys! I hope you aren't too mad at me!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity makes an important decision as we come to the end of our story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a NSFW scene, beware if that's not your taste, etc. This is the end of the road and I want to thank ALL OF YOU who traveled the journey with me, reading as I posted, and sharing with me your enthusiasm for this story. Your support means everything to me. I know it's hard sometimes to follow along with a WIP and it takes some trust from the reader and some patience as well. So thank you for trusting me. Without further ado: here is the chapter. ENJOY.

Felicity sat on the molded plastic chair, listening to the roar of jet engines and voices that sounded entirely too calm calling out boarding information over the intercom.  She and Ray sat at the gate, waiting for first class to begin boarding.  From the looks of the gate, there was going to be a full flight to Los Angeles.  

When she’d returned from visiting Oliver at the clinic the previous afternoon, she’d told Ray that she’d changed her mind, that she didn’t feel like going out to dinner after all.  He’d been very understanding and had called room service to bring plenty of food to their bungalow.  Her appetite was crap, though, even considering how little actual food she’d been able to enjoy that week.  

Oliver didn’t want to even try to explore what was between them.  He’d told her he felt something, but then he’d said that they could never work out their different lives.  It hurt badly, to know that she’d be willing to try, to take a risk, but that he wasn’t.  It had to mean that his feelings weren’t as strong as hers after all.  The realization had haunted her the rest of the night and despite going to bed early, she hadn’t been able to sleep very well at all. 

Felicity knew she needed to break things off with Ray.  It was clear now that whatever feelings she’d had for him had changed.  The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, but he deserved someone who put him first in her life.  And Felicity couldn’t do that anymore.  She loved him, but if she’d learned anything about their relationship this last week, it was that she wasn’t _in love_ with him.  

She’d struggled briefly with whether to put it off until they got home to Starling to break things off or to do it now.  Because the last fourteen hours had been awkward as hell and, broken up or not, she didn’t think she could sit next to him on the plane and pretend that everything was okay. Felicity thought that Ray suspected something was up anyhow; he’d been acting strange with her since yesterday.  They’d slept apart last night, neither of them even touching in the enormous bed and he’d never said a word about it or tried to hold her.  

“Ray?” 

“Yeah?”  He looked at her, his expression almost apprehensive. 

“I don’t think we should get married.”  

Ray looked surprised, but only mildly, and he turned more fully towards her.  “What?  Why?”

Felicity took a deep breath.  “Because I think it’s wrong for two people to get married when something is hanging over their heads.”

He blinked at her for a moment before lowering his head to his hands.  “Oh, God.  Felicity, I’m so sorry.  You have no idea.  I was… I wasn’t myself and I was so upset.  Then, she took off her clothes and my mind just went _blank_.  But I left, I walked away.  I came back to our bungalow and got into bed but I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about you. I didn’t know if you were dead or alive… So I went back to her bungalow, you know, and I just wanted to talk because she’d been such a comfort to talk to this whole week.  But then, she… well she wasn’t wearing any clothes at all when I got there and just…”

Ray trailed off and Felicity gaped at him.  “Who?” 

“Sara.”

Felicity could have laughed.  “You slept with Sara?”

“Well, I didn’t really sleep much, if you know what I mean— Wait.  I thought you knew?”

“How on earth would I know that, Ray?”  She wasn’t mad, so much as she was… frustrated.  She’d held back with Oliver when she _really_ wanted to jump him because she thought it’d be wrong and disrespectful to Ray.  Now, it turns out, Ray had done the same thing with Sara. 

But Ray was looking at her speculatively.  “But wait, you just said that there was something hanging over our heads.  What did you mean by that?”

“I meant Oliver.  Oliver and I.”

“Oh.  I see.”  

“Ray, something happened this week.  And it wouldn’t have happened if you and I were really—“

“In love,” he finished for her, nodding. 

“Yes, exactly.”

Ray sighed.  “I know.  I had the same thought.  But then I felt so guilty.  I can’t believe I did that to you.”

Felicity patted his arm.  “I know I should be angry with you.  I mean, Oliver and I didn’t do anything.  I couldn’t— But I did develop feelings for him, and that’s just as bad.  Worse, maybe.  I don’t know.  You don’t deserve that from me, and I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too, Felicity.   I guess you’re right, this wouldn’t have happened for either of us if there wasn’t a problem in the relationship.”

Felicity slipped her ring off and handed it to Ray.  “Here.  You should give this to the right girl, whoever she is.”

Ray accepted it and nodded as he tucked the ring into his pocket. 

“Maybe it’s Sara,” she suggested hopefully and Ray flashed her a smile that was so reminiscent of the man she remembered from before this week that Felicity laughed.  

The gate agent called their flight then and Felicity stood up, hefting her carryon.  She felt lighter than she had when they arrived at the airport, a weight lifted from her shoulders.  Taking care of her relationship with Ray was something she’d been dreading since returning to Maketea, but having it taken care of now made her feel so much more settled. 

However, as she handed her boarding pass to the gate agent, Felicity still felt a knot in her stomach.  Oliver.  It felt wrong, just… _wrong_ to leave Pape’ete and leave him behind and never see him again.  

Maybe she should have fought harder, tried to convince him that they were worth the effort.  As she followed the other passengers out onto the tarmac, towards the mobile stairs that lead to the door of the plane, Felicity wondered if Oliver Queen was going to be her one great regret in life. 

***

Oliver’s knee bounced and his fingers drummed on the armrest of his seat as the helicopter lowered onto the tarmac at the airport in Pape’ete.  He was pushing it close, he knew that, but he had to try. 

He’d woken up in his own bungalow this morning, hazy with the after effects of pain medication and the rum he’d swallowed to chase the pills the night before.  The clinic had released him pretty late and he’d stumbled to his place rather than going to the bar.  He’d just wanted to be alone. 

And, yeah, he wanted to be alone so that he could sulk about Felicity some more.  Oliver couldn’t help but feel like he’d made a huge mistake there in the clinic.  He’d pushed her away, thinking it was for her own good, that she didn’t need a wrecked man like him in her life.  She’d fought back, insisting that she should have some say in that matter.  He loved that she always fought back.  

He’d slept, mostly because of the pain pill, but his dreams had been plagued with visions of Felicity.  In one particularly vivid imagining, he’d watched Ivo kill her on the freighter while he was helpless to stop him.  He’d watched her bleed out in front of him, her eyes on him.  

Oliver had woken up in a cold sweat from that one. 

Sara came by shortly after he’d woken up, bearing coffee and a sympathetic expression.  After making sure that he was feeling okay, or at least as well as could be expected with his injury. 

“Have you spoken to Felicity?” Sara had asked, sitting on the edge of his bed and watching as he sat up and sipped at his coffee. 

“She came to the clinic yesterday,” he’d told her. It took a little prodding but eventually, he’d spilled everything that had happened.  Sara watched him closely as he gave her as sanitized a version of events as he could. 

“You’re an idiot, Ollie,” she’d told him, a fond smile on her lips. 

“Sara?”

“You sent her away because you think Ray is better for her?”

“He is, though.  He can give her the life she needs.”

Sara had shaken her head, still smiling. “Ray slept with me while you guys were on the island.”

Oliver had set his coffee cup down on the table next to his bed with a loud thunk. “What?  Sara!”

She’d shrugged. “We were both drunk and upset.  We thought you guys were dead.  He left my place but then he came back.”

They’d talked a little longer, Sara had chattered on about some resort gossip while he’d been gone and finally, Oliver couldn’t sit still any longer and had shooed her out the door.  Sara had grinned, muttered, “finally,” and then left with a wave and a, “tell her I said hi!”

Sara could be such a know-it-all sometimes. But Oliver didn’t have time to feel annoyed by it.  He’d called to ask if the helicopter was still on the island and then dressed as quickly as he could with his injury.  Ten minutes later he was at the airstrip and climbing onto the chopper.  

After an agonizingly long ride, he was here, in Pape’ete and Felicity’s plane to Los Angeles would be leaving any minute now.  With a quick thank you to his pilot, Oliver jumped off and ran to the first airline worker he saw.  

“Where’s the 9am to Los Angeles?” he asked.

The man gestured out onto the runway where a jumbo jet was just taking the corner.  Oliver’s shoulder’s slumped as he heard the engines begin to burn and watched the plane begin to accelerate down the runway. It took off without so much as a bobble and Oliver felt like his heart was leaving with it.  

Then… he heard it.  Her voice.  

“I’m so sorry, I just had to get off the plane,” she was saying and he could hear the chattering of angry French voices around her.  “I know that I delayed the flight but I also know the pilot can make up the time in the air.  I know how these things work.  I just…”

Oliver walked towards the source of the voice, the air-stairs and a luggage cart in his way and as he came around, he saw Felicity, surrounded by airport personnel who all looked pretty miffed with her.  He smiled. 

“Listen, I just wanted… I don’t speak French, I’m sorry, so I don’t know what you’re saying. I just needed to get off the plane.”  

She looked amazing.  Her hair was up in a ponytail that danced around her shoulders as she tried to explain herself.  She wore a pretty dress, not unlike the one she’d been wearing when he first met her.  

And there was no ring on her finger.

“Do you know where my bags are?  Did they get off the plane?”

The men and women continued speaking to her in French and Oliver understood what they were saying but she clearly did not. 

“You don’t speak any English at all?  None?  How is that even possible in this day and age?  Okay, yes!  Yes, that’s my suitcase!  Wait, no what are you doing?  Don’t search my bags, I swear I don’t have anything illegal in there. God, I just really needed to stay here…”

Oliver walked up to her, feeling as though the grin was going to crack his face in two.  She got off the plane.  She wanted to stay.  He knew it had to be because of him.  He knew that it was because she felt the same urgency he felt, the urgency that had caused him to hurry here to try to stop her. 

“Felicity,” he said.

Her head snapped up, her grey-blue eyes wide.  “Oliver!  You’re here!”

“Bonjour, Oliver,” one of the airline employees said to him.  Oliver recognized him, of course, having spent a lot of time here at the airport, though he didn’t recall the man’s name.  He asked Oliver what this woman was doing, why she’d gotten off the plane. 

Oliver explained, as simply as he could, that she was with him.  He thanked them for understanding, grabbed Felicity’s suitcase and took her hand, leading her away and back towards the helicopter which thankfully had waited for him.  

Felicity stopped, however.  “What are you doing here?” she asked. 

Oliver set her bag down and took her other hand in his now free one.  “Why did you get off the plane?” he countered. 

She blinked at him and licked her lips.  “I asked you first.”

He grinned.  She was such a spitfire.  He’d known she would be.  “I just decided that… my life is too simple.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “It is?”

“Yeah.  I want to complicate the shit out of it.”

Felicity’s smile could light the world.  “Ohh…”

Because he could not resist a moment longer, Oliver bent down and covered her lips with his own.  He held her around her waist, pulling her up against him and his heart pounded as she reciprocated.  Her lips parted as she kissed him back, her fingers cupping his jaw and running back into his hair.  

This time, there were no slavers chasing them.  There was no ring on her finger and no reason to pull away.  So Oliver pulled her closer still. 

She tasted just as amazing as he remembered as he licked into her mouth, swallowing the small noise she made.  Arousal already thrummed through him and Oliver knew that he would like to go on kissing her forever.  But he also knew that he wanted to do more than just kiss her.  

He lifted his head and, because he couldn’t help himself, gave her another peck on the lips.  Felicity looked dazed, her lips bee-stung and pink.  

“What happens now?” she asked, licking at her lips. 

Oliver fought the urge to growl.  “I know what I want to happen now…”

Her eyes darkened and, _fuck_ , if that wasn’t the sexiest thing. “Where can we go?” 

“Your place is in Starling and that’s way too far.” 

“It’s a long fight.”

“I don’t think I can wait that long.”  

Felicity’s blush spread down from her face and over her collarbone.  Oliver was aching to see how far the pinkness would go.  He stooped to pick up her suitcase again.  His side twinged a bit but he barely felt it over the drumbeat of arousal in his veins.  “My place is closer.”

“Oh yeah, your little bungalow on the beach,” she said, smiling as she took his hand. He walked her towards the helicopter. 

“I’m sorry it’s not much…”  They had so many details to work out.  Complicated didn’t begin to scratch the surface… his life had gone straight into chaos.  But in that moment, Oliver was glad for it. 

“It’s perfect, as long as you’re there.”

***

Oliver didn't take his hands off of her the entire helicopter ride back to Maketea.  He didn't get inappropriate, not with Tom right there two feet away.  But he held her hand.  His thumb brushed over her knuckles from time to time.  He kept his eyes on her, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. 

Felicity felt a delicious sort of thrill herself as she looked at him.  A week ago, he'd been an aggravation and now, he was so incredibly dear to her... She'd gotten off a plane for him.  Left her life in Starling behind, for the time being at least, just to be with him, to fight for him.  It was major and she knew that.  This was the first time she'd ever done something so casually reckless in her life. 

Honestly, she would have expected to feel more panicked.  

Instead, Felicity was filled with a strange sort of calm, as though her whole body knew she was making the right choice.  Those niggling doubts and uncertainties she'd felt after Ray's proposal were nowhere to be seen. She was where she was supposed to be. 

They talked, of course.  She gave him a quick explanation of what had happened with Ray at the airport, how she'd broken off the engagement.  When she mentioned that he'd slept with Sara, Felicity wasn't sure what she'd expected but it certainly wasn't Oliver looking unsurprised. 

She'd have to ask him about that later.  

"But that's not why we called off the engagement," she told him. 

"It's not?"

"I just... back when we were on Mata Nui, I realized that there was something wrong.  That if Ray was the love of my life, like I assumed he was, I wouldn't have started feeling things for you."

Oliver's eyebrow went up and a smile spread across his face.  "You feel things for me?"

"Oliver. I got off a plane just to be with you. I think it's a safe assumption."  

He laughed at that. 

It didn't take long to reach Maketea and as soon as the chopper touched down, Oliver was pulling her off of it.  He commandeered a golf cart and made her sit while he retrieved her suitcase.  Then, they set off for his bungalow.  Now, excitement rushed through her, anticipation for what was coming.  

Oliver didn't say much but he drove them quickly.  Perhaps he was as excited as she was.  Soon, they pulled up in front of his bungalow.  Felicity had been there once before, to ask him to fly her to Pape'ete.  At the time, she hadn't paid much attention to any of the details.  It wasn't large and from the outside especially, looked modest and not unlike all the other staff bungalows in the area.  Oliver let them in, he even needed to unlock the door, and Felicity got a brief glimpse of the studio apartment style setup before she was grabbed and pushed up against the door. 

Oliver's mouth crashed onto hers and, just like that, her arousal went from something in the back of her mind to an inferno consuming her senses in record time. He took her hands in his and pressed them up and against the door next to her head so that she was helpless.  All she could do was kiss him back as he threw his whole body into the passionate embrace.  His tongue stroked into her mouth, making her go pliant against him and he released her hands so she could rake her fingers over the back of his head. 

Oliver released her ponytail, causing her hair to spill down over her shoulders before his hands smoothed down her sides, making her gasp.  He crouched a little in order to get his fingers around the hem of her sundress.  As he straightened, Oliver ran his fingers up the outsides of her thighs, dragging them as he kept his eyes on hers, pinning her with a heated look.  Once he reached her hips, he played a little with the waistband of her thong.  Felicity bit her lip as he brought the fingers of one hand around to the front of her underwear, dipping them down inside so slowly that she thought she might scream before he actually touched her. 

"Oliver..." she said, her voice a whine.  

He grinned, a half-smug expression, but didn't hasten his fingers as he stroked the skin over her pubic bone and then down the crease at the top of her legs, feeling down over the inside of her thighs where she was already starting to tremble.  

"Patience, Felicity," he murmured, brushing his lips over her neck.   She tilted her head to give him better access. Patience was something she was quickly running out of.  His lips found a spot under her ear and Felicity couldn't bite back a loud moan as he zeroed in on it.  He sucked and laved and nibbled until she felt sure her legs were going to give out. 

Right then was when his touch down in her thong got deliberate and he ran a finger along her slit, just enough pressure so that she felt it.  

"Oh god," she groaned. 

"You're so wet already, Felicity."

"I've been wet since Pape'ete," she admitted which made him growl.  He reached for her thong with both hands and, with a sudden yank, tore it from her body.  Felicity yelped and then flushed because lord, that was hot.  

Oliver stepped back and yanked off his t-shirt.   She hadn't seen him shirtless in a couple days and, wow, yeah that was still a great sight.  Even with the bandage on his side, he looked amazing. Felicity reached out to trace along the ridges of his ab muscles as he opened his shorts and kicked them off.  

"Your muscles are insane," she told him. Then, her eyes drifted down to take in the sight of him wearing only boxer briefs.  "Oh... wow."

Oliver smirked and pulled her away from the door, leading her back towards his bed which dominated the bulk of the space in his bungalow.  He sat down and drew her between his legs so she was standing right before him.  He looked up at her with a tender but heated expression, making her want to shiver at the intimacy of it.  Reaching behind her, Felicity pulled down the zipper of her dress and let it fall, first to her waist, and then to the floor.  She kicked it away along with the heels she'd been wearing, leaving her wearing nothing at all.  

The tenderness leached out of his expression until all that was left was the desire.  

"I take back anything I said about your tits," he told her as he reached for them instantly.  As soon as his fingers brushed the swells of her breasts, Felicity sucked in a breath. Her breasts had always been super sensitive.  In fact, in the past, she'd had boyfriends who didn't know how to handle that and some had been too rough, causing more pain than pleasure.  But Oliver... wow, he seemed to have the right touch.  He experimented with his fingers, stroking and grasping and pinching lightly at her nipples until Felicity was all but shaking.  

"Oh god," she breathed, arching her back into his touch.  Leaning forward, he wrapped his lips around one of her nipples while he massaged the other with firm but gentle fingers.  When she gasped at the feel of his hot mouth on her, he opened wider to engulf more of her breast.  His tongue stroked along her nipple until she was panting and moaning, her fingers tangled in the short hair on top of his head. 

He brought her to the brink like that, until she was about to explode and then he lifted his head.  "Wow. Yeah, I definitely take it back.  In fact, I believe your tits are now my favorite tits ever."

Felicity huffed a laugh, despite wanting to scream over him stopping when she was right there.  "They'd better be," she said, her voice breathless.  "Because now they're your only tits."

Oliver laughed, leaning his forehead against her chest.  Then, he pressed a kiss to the skin there.  Felicity blushed, wondering if she'd gone too far.  They hadn't really talked about what they were yet.  Was this just a hookup?  But her staying in Maketea with him, at least for now, seemed to insinuate a larger commitment... And while they were a thing, she definitely didn't want him motor-boating on anyone else's tits.  They were going to have to talk, but it looked like that talk would have to wait for now. 

Oliver didn't seem to mind one bit, which was a good thing.  He pulled her forward as he scooted backward so she was straddling his hips as he continued to press kisses all along her torso, his lips leaving a blazing trail behind.  He grabbed onto her ass, pulling her more firmly onto his lap and she could feel where he was already hard through the cotton of his boxer briefs.  He felt enormous.  

His fingers flexed on her flesh, digging in and squeezing.  Oliver pressed a kiss to her shoulder and gave it a nip.  "I also fucking love your ass."

Felicity grinned down at him. "I knew it!  You were ogling me all the time!"

He huffed a little.  "Of course I was.  This ass is the most bitable ass I've ever seen in my life." 

She flushed at that; Oliver noticed and kissed along the top of her chest, along her collarbone.  "I love that I get to see how far down the pink goes when you do that now."

She reached for his face, cupping it so that the scruff scratched at her palms and drew him up so she could kiss him.  This time, the kiss was all tongues and biting as she ground down against him, letting him feel just how wet she really was.  Oliver groaned into the kiss, the sexiest sound she'd ever heard.  His covered cock pressed against her clit and she gasped, releasing his mouth.  

With a growl, Oliver lifted her and turned them so that she was on her back, her head on the pillow.  He grunted a little and she worried a moment about him straining his injury.  But those thoughts were driven out of her mind when he rose up over her, kissing her sloppily as he pushed at his boxers.  She tried to help, pushing with her fingers and then her feet.  Before she could so much as feel him, however, he was moving, pressing kisses all over her body.  

"I've been wanting to do this since the island," he told her before dipping a tongue into the hollow next to her hip bone.  "I wanted to do this on the island.  I wanted you so bad, Felicity." 

Felicity was trying so hard not to writhe, to submit to his sensual assault on her body but she felt like her skin was on fire.  "I wanted you, too," she gasped.  "Please, Oliver..."

He moved up her body then, dragging his ridiculous muscles over her as he slanted his lips over hers. Arching into him, Felicity reached down between their bodies and wrapped her fingers around his cock.  Oliver tore his lips from hers and groaned loudly in her ear. He felt huge in her hand as she stroked over the hot, rigid flesh.  His hips flexed, pushing into her grasp and she tightened her fingers around him.  She felt him tremble over her as she brushed a thumb over the fat head of his cock, smearing the bead of pre-cum she found there.  

"Felicity," he moaned. He pushed her hand away. "Please, I'm on the edge enough as it is... I don't want this to be over before it begins."

Felicity couldn't even try to hide her smirk at that.  "Well then do me already."

Oliver chuckled as he rolled off of her.  She watched him fish in the table drawer next to his bed and draw out a condom.  "Who even says 'do me' anymore?"

"I was saying it ironically."

"I somehow doubt that."

Felicity gave him a mock scowl as he quickly tore open the foil wrapper and sheathed himself.  He settled back over her, spreading her legs with his.

He brushed his nose alongside hers.  "I wanted to do so much more, draw this out... I've had dreams about tasting you..."

Felicity blushed at that, which made him chuckle again and press a kiss to her cheek. 

"But I can't wait any longer.  I've been waiting for days now..."

"I need you, too, Oliver," she said, locking eyes with him.  

Slowly, he pushed into her body, stretching her.  She watched him, how his jaw tightened, how his eyelashes fluttered and his mouth fell open as he entered her, inch by inch.  Felicity moaned at the perfect fullness, the slow pleasurable burn as her body accommodated him.  She kissed his shoulder, biting down lightly when he was fully seated. 

Oliver groaned. "Fuck, you feel incredible."  He kissed at the sweaty skin of her neck.  "Are you ready."

"God... yes...." 

Oliver reached down for her legs, hooking them around his arms.  He opened her up so that he slipped in even further.  Felicity gasped.  He began to move slowly, sliding against her, letting her feel each and every inch of him.  

Felicity felt like she was going out of her mind, that her whole body was on fire and she was being consumed.  Oliver was all around her, hard all over.  His chest, his back, his butt, his legs, his arms... his cock.  And he used all that hardness to push her arousal higher than it'd ever gone before.  

"Please..."

"What is it, Felicity," he grunted, still controlling his movements. She wanted to arch against him, to thrust her hips but he had her legs held captive, all she could do was lay there and surrender to the delicious torture.  

"Kiss me," she groaned. 

Oliver was quick to oblige, thrusting his tongue into her mouth nearly as slowly as he was thrusting his cock.  Felicity writhed under him, even as she tried to nip at his lips.  Then, she had a stroke of inspiration.  Concentrating on that constant and achingly slow push/pull of his cock, Felicity tightened her muscles so that her walls clenched around him. 

Oliver stuttered in his steady rhythm.  "Felicity..." he warned her, breathless. 

He began moving again and, biting her lip to focus, Felicity did it again.

He lowered his forehead to her shoulder, panting warm breaths along her sweaty skin there.  She raked her short nails over his back and clenched again.  Oliver growled and snapped his hips, hard, just once, making her gasp and grab at his back. 

"Do you want me to lose control?" he asked, his voice rough. "Do you think you can handle that?"

"I can handle whatever you've got," Felicity assured him. 

Oliver growled again and began to thrust harder, faster.  His hips were pounding against hers and it felt so amazing that all she could do was throw her head back into the pillow and cry out.  She'd never had sex like this before, so carnal and base and instinctual.  Every thrust brought a noise out of her, echoing around the tiny bungalow as her voice grew hoarse. 

Oliver dropped her legs and she promptly wound them around his waist, hooking her ankles at the small of his back so her heels bumped into his ass with each thrust.  He hooked his arms up under her shoulders, bringing his hands up to cradle her head.  Oliver pressed his forehead to hers, gazing into her eyes as he thrust in and out. 

The heat was finally building into something that was going to go somewhere and Felicity could have wept with relief.  His cock was brushing up against her clit just right with each withdrawal and return and she flexed her own hips, pushing up against him.  She ground her clit against him as their hips met and she could feel the tingling beginning at the tips of her fingers. 

"C'mon, Felicity.  Let go. I can feel you dying to let go," he groaned.  

Like the snapping of a rubber band, all the sensations suddenly snapped and crashed through her.  Felicity cried out, squeezing her eyes shut, as she stiffened and then relaxed, the orgasm washing through her, leaving only bliss in it's wake. 

"Fuck, Felicity, you are so hot when you come.  Your face, your lips... That beautiful blush that reaches all the way down to your belly... Fuck!" Oliver panted and then he followed after her, groaning loudly as he emptied himself, shuddering over her.  Felicity ran her hands along his back, deliciously sated and overwhelmed by just how good that was. 

Oliver was pressing little kisses all along her jaw and Felicity hummed with contentment.  

"Hey," he said, his voice soft. 

She opened her eyes and saw him smiling down at her, his blue eyes warm.  "Hey."

"That was amazing."

"Was it worth the hype?"

Oliver chuckled, jostling himself on top of her and where he was still buried inside of her, softening.  "There was hype?"

"Damn right there was!  You were ogling my ass, which you admitted is not too big."

"Mmm..." He dropped a kiss on her lips.  Post-coital Oliver was rather sappy, she was finding. She didn't mind a bit. "And your tits are perfect."

"See...." Felicity hummed, kissing him back and letting herself sink into the perfection of this moment. 

***

Oliver got up to discard of the condom and clean up a little but he was quick to crawl back into bed with Felicity.  His side was aching him, a consequence of the exertion, but he decided it was very worth it.  But, for now, he wanted to rest and relax with this warm bundle of woman.  Considering how little sleep he’d gotten the night before, and the several nights before _that_ , he felt exhausted.  She clearly did too and let him curl around her while they dozed until the sun was setting.  

He woke first and just watched her as she stirred and came awake. “You’re beautiful,” he told her. 

Felicity smiled, her cheeks coloring at the compliment.  “You’re not bad either.”  A churning rumble sounded and they both paused.  Then, she grinned.  “I’m apparently hungry.  How about you?”

Oliver grinned.  “Starved.” 

He called to his favorite cafe in the resort, where he knew the chef, and asked if he could send a couple of plates to his bungalow.  This way, they wouldn’t even have to get dressed in order to eat, which suited him just fine because he wasn’t remotely finished with her yet. 

While they waited for the food, they talked. 

“So what about your job at Palmer Tech?” Oliver asked her. 

“I don’t really know. Ray and I didn’t discuss that.  But everything considered, I don’t know if I’d feel right working there still.  Plus, I’m sorta _here_ now…”

“Are you saying you would move here?  To be with me?”  Oliver felt incredulous about this… No one had ever done anything like that _for him_ before.  When Sara had left Starling to come with him, that hadn’t been about him as much as it’d been about her leaving her family behind.  Her parents had been pressuring her about her future, she was on the outs with her sister, she felt suffocated by Starling.  Oliver had understood that feeling very well, which was why he’d invited her along.  But Sara hadn’t left her life behind to be _with him_.  She’d been doing it for herself. 

He felt humbled. 

“I mean,” Felicity said, trailing a lazy finger along the curve of his bicep, “it’s up for discussion.  The resort gave me a full month’s stay, to keep me quiet I think.  We could always take them up on that and then see what we want to do?”

Oliver had to chuckle at that.  “Are you saying you don’t want to stay in my charming little bungalow?”

“Oh, it’s fine.  It’s just— well, it’s _small_ , for two people.  The bathroom isn’t very big, this _room_ isn’t very big and how do you even cook any meals on that hotplate over there?”

“I’ve always managed before, but it was just me.”  He leaned in to kiss her softly.  “Things are different now.”

“So you’re serious about wanting to try… with me?” she asked, sounding hesitant. 

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“I’m just not sure if _you’re_ sure, you know?”

“Felicity… if you hadn’t been in Pape’ete when I got there… if the plane had left with you on it, do you know what I would have done?”

Felicity shook her head and bit her lip. 

“I would have flown to Starling.  I would have found you and told you that I wanted to try with you.  Does that sound like someone who is unsure to you?”

She smiled and it lit up her whole face. “I guess not.”

“Good,” he growled, pushing her down and kissing her deeply, until she was breathless and growing hotter underneath him.  He rubbed his nose against hers.  

“Do you think we can fit in round two before the food gets here?” she asked him, her grey-blue eyes twinkling. 

Oliver smiled, feeling weightless and free. “I don’t know but how about we find out?” 

It turns out, they were unable to finish round two before food arrived.  Luckily, Alfonse from the cafe was a savvy guy, heard the noises from inside the bungalow, and left the covered tray containing the food on the porch for them to find later.  Much later. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I do a good job? Are you happy with this ending? As I mentioned before, I'm thinking of doing a sequel. Would you be interested in one if I wrote it? If so, let me know in a review what you might like to see the sequel include. Do you want to see Tommy? What about Ray? Should Ray date Sara? What path should Oliver and Felicity's relationship take? Let me know!


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